Like a Drug
by ADI2DE
Summary: AU – Andy's a troubled high school teen when she meets Sam Swarek for the first time – she's dating college boys, drinking, and getting caught up in a circle that does drugs. But what happens when a night-gone-wrong pulls Sam into her life in a way that neither of them could have expected? Can they go back to normal or are their lives forever changed?
1. Deal

A soft moan escapes her lips as her boyfriend, Tyler, presses her up against the brick wall just outside her front door, his lips on hers as one hand slides up her shirt and the other rests on her left hip. She shifts slightly, drawing one leg up so it's bent and her foot rests against the bricks at knee-level, the other leg strategically placed between his. Her breathing is starting to get heavier and she knows if they don't stop soon, Tyler's going to want to drag her back to his car. Not that she'll complain.

"Step away from my niece."

Andy pulls away from Tyler, groaning as a balding man comes into view.

"And that's how you greet your uncle?" says the balding man, who's now standing beside them, looking like he wants to throw Tyler off the front porch.

"You're not really even my uncle, Oliver," Andy argues.

Oliver looks at the punk who still has his hands on Andy, pinning her to the wall. "Are you deaf?"

"Chill man," Tyler says, slowly backing away. Turning back to Andy he says, "You wanna get out of here?"

"Uh huh," she says, reaching for her bag, but Oliver throws an arm between them.

"Scram," Oliver says to the kid.

Andy and Tyler exchange a quick glance before she shoves Oliver's arm aside and gives Tyler a quick kiss.

"See you tomorrow, my place?" Tyler asks.

"Uh huh," Andy says again, biting her lip, waiting until Tyler's far enough away before finally turning back to Oliver. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yeah Andy, it was. Your father would kill you if he saw that thing all over you," Oliver says.

"That thing is kind of my boyfriend," Andy replies.

"That thing looks like he's in college, and you're still in high school," Oliver says.

"So, it's really not a big deal," she says, before adding, "I'm just over half a year away from graduating high school and he's only four years older than me. It's not that bad."

Oliver shakes his head. It isn't until that moment that he finally realizes what she's wearing. His jaw drops slightly. "Your father lets you out of the house like that?"

Andy laughs. "It's called a uniform."

"Yeah, well, I think part of yours is missing."

"Well, maybe in your day the women wore skirts down to their ankles, but today, this is what we wear," she replies.

"Yeah, well if you ask me, it's giving way too much access to the likes of that scumbag."

"Boyfriend," Andy reminds him. "And about that, uhh, maybe just don't mention it to my dad."

"Andy," Oliver warns.

She rolls her eyes. "Look, he doesn't exactly know about Tyler, and it would just be easier if it stayed that way."

"Yeah, that's a great idea Andy because then when that scumbag knocks you up and your father finds out I knew about him… yeah, that will go over so well."

"Wow, real blunt there Uncle Ollie."

"Just promise me you won't go see him," Oliver says.

"Fine, I'll tell him I'm busy _tomorrow_."

"Andy," Oliver warns. "You know what I mean. He's in college and you're in high school. College boys only go after high school girls for one reason."

"I'm not a whore," she says, crossing her arms.

"That's not what I'm trying to say," Oliver says. "I'm just worried about you, and I don't trust him. I think your father deserves to know."

"I'm not a kid anymore. If I want to have sex I will, and I'll have it with whomever I want, whenever I want."

Oliver's mouth drops open. "Andy!"

She shrugs. "Look, here's the deal. I'll get my dad to bring me into the poker game. If I win, you keep your mouth shut. If you win, I'll tell him or you can tell him, whatever. Deal?"

Oliver hesitates. He's never seen Andy play poker before and he isn't sure he should even risk not telling her father, particularly given the man was his T.O.

"Not convinced? Why not ask your cop buddy there what he thinks? He's had enough time to develop a low opinion of me, so I'm pretty sure he doesn't have an issue with it."

Sam looks up in surprise. He's been standing on the path leading up to the house the entire time, but not once had she looked at him, until now. He was positive she didn't even know he was there, but clearly he'd been wrong. "None of my business," he says, holding up his hands.

Andy laughs. "Yeah, I'm definitely getting in on this game. Your friend here, Uncle Ollie, doesn't seem like a risk-taker."

Sam frowns. The look on her face suggests she was challenging him, and having a beautiful young woman challenge him is hard to resist. He has to remind himself that she's seven years younger than him and that's kind of wrong at the moment, especially given the fact that she's a cop's daughter, Detective Tommy McNally's no less.

"His name is Sam Swarek," Oliver says.

"Yeah, I've heard about you," Andy says, laughing a little as she ignores the confusion on the man's face. She hesitates, then holds out her hand. When she sees Sam hesitate as well, she says, "Don't worry, my hand wasn't anywhere Uncle Ollie wouldn't approve of."

Sam's eyes widen slightly, but he says nothing. It takes a lot of effort to hold back the laughter that threatens to spill out at her declaration.

"Andy," Oliver hisses. "When did you become so vulgar?"

She drops her hand before speaking. "Oh, I'd say sometime between my so called mother leaving and scumbag's arrival," Andy says, smirking. "Too much?"

"Your father's okay with it?" Oliver asks, ignoring her question.

Andy rolls her eyes. "Vulgar is for my boyfriend you're so fond of… The big guy is oblivious. He still treats me like I'm nine half the time." Before Oliver can respond, Andy says, "So back to business… I'm just going to say we have a deal, and I'll see you inside." With that she hugs Oliver and kisses his cheek before opening the door and stepping inside.

Oliver closes the door behind her and turns back to Sam. "What do you think?"

"That's Tommy McNally's daughter?" Sam says. He knows it's ridiculous to say, but she's not what he expected. She has a lot of fire and she's clearly a little rebellious, but he senses that underneath the attitude she's probably also really kind as well. It's the fire that danced in her eyes though that caught his attention the most.

Oliver chuckles. "Yeah buddy, so you'd better be careful or she'll wrap you around her finger too."

Sam frowns. Ignoring the comment, he says, "I don't know what you should do. That guy is clearly out for one thing and I don't think it's going to end well, but is it your place to tell her dad?"

"Alright, poker it is, and only time will tell," Oliver says, exhaling deeply as he slaps his friend on the back.


	2. Toxic

**Welcome back! Thanks for the reviews and follows! I currently have six other stories posted, with more to come, so if you haven't checked those out, feel free to do so and let me know what you think so far. Thanks for reading!**

**Recap: Oliver discovers that Andy has a college-age boyfriend who is clearly out for one thing. He wants to tell Tommy, but Andy persuades him to leave it in the hands of a poker game – if she wins, he'll have to keep quiet. Sam joins the game and meets Andy for the first time.**

True to her word, Andy manages to persuade her father to let her sit in on the poker game.

"Small crowd tonight," Oliver comments, seeing that it's only Tommy, Sam, himself, and Andy. There are usually six regulars, and tonight's the first night both Sam and Andy are sitting at the table with them.

"A lot of last minute cancellations," Tommy says, nodding in agreement before taking another swig of his whiskey.

"So uh, how well does your daughter play?" Oliver asks, trying to sound casual.

Tommy glances at Andy, a smile breaking out on his face. "She can hold her own," Tommy replies, though the look on his face suggests she can do more than just that.

"If you'd hurry up and deal then you'd find out," Andy says, smiling over at the man she calls uncle, despite having no blood ties and having only known him for a year.

"Like I said, watch that one," Oliver warns Sam.

Tommy clears his throat. "_That_ one is my daughter," he says, though he's biting back a laugh.

"And _that_ one is sitting right here and can hear every word you're saying," Andy says, smirking. "So whenever you're down talking, maybe we can actually play?"

She starts off slow, not really playing much unless she feels confident. Usually when her dad plays poker she's out in the other room, but she'd periodically stop in, so she feels like she has a good enough idea of how Oliver and her own father play. Having never met Sam before, she can't quite get a read on how he plays yet. On the front porch she'd jokingly said he didn't look like a risk-taker, but as she'd said it, she saw the fire in his eyes. The thought makes her smile. She'd heard about him. He's apparently a really good cop, one of the best to walk through her father's division in a long time, but he's also said to be intimidating at times, despite his alleged inability to keep women away. She can't understand why.

She takes a moment to really observe him. His brown eyes seem to change depending on his mood, but they have such depth that it's hard not to look at them. Her gaze shifts slightly, and Andy notes the way his t-shirt clings to him – it's clear he works out. Then there's the dark hair and slightly tanned skin – he looks a little rugged, but in an attractive way.

"Earth to Andy," Oliver says, chuckling.

Realizing she's been staring at Sam and it's now her turn, she says, "Thanks Oliver, but I heard you the first time."

"You sure about that?" Oliver teases, grinning.

Andy forces herself to keep her composure – the last thing she wants is to blush. "Yeah, I'm sure. Just trying to get a read on the new guy."

Sam looks up at her, watching as she bites her lip before his gaze moves up and he meets her eyes.

A smile breaks out on her face. Oliver and her father have already folded. "You're bluffing," she states.

Sam continues to stare evenly at her, determined not to give anything away. The way she'd said it though was with such confidence that he wonders if he should back out. It frustrates him that in such a short amount a time a complete stranger seems to be able to read him so well, but then again, perhaps she's just guessing and trying to get him to slip up. "Am I?" he inquires, smirking.

She answers with her actions. She raises again.

Her father gets up and leaves to go to the washroom. Once out of sight, Andy grabs his glass and takes a sip.

"Andy," Oliver hisses.

"What?" she says.

"Really, you're going to pull that card?" Oliver asks. "You're not even legal yet. You can't drink that."

"_That_ is whiskey, and try telling my dad that, he's the one that leaves it all over the house."

Sam frowns. Oliver has a point: she isn't legal yet, although most people her age are already getting plastered every weekend. What strikes him more though is the fact that she actually seems to like whiskey. He's dated a lot of girls and none of them have, including his present… girlfriend? Fling? He forces his eyes away. Already he can tell that this girl is toxic.

"It doesn't mean you should drink it," Oliver chides. "And in a house with three cops!"

"Likely soon to be two," Andy says, causing both Oliver and Sam to raise their eyebrows. She shrugs. "What? It's not like it's a secret that he's an alcoholic. That's gotta have some kind of impact on his job sooner or later."

"Your father's a good cop," Oliver says sharply.

"Was," Andy corrects, taking another sip of whiskey.

"Andy," Oliver hisses again. "You—"

Andy picks up a stack of her chips and puts them in Oliver's pile. "For your silence," she says, interrupting him, a smile on her face.

"That's not how this works."

Andy says, "That's exactly how this works. You disrupt his perfect image of me and he'll only hit the bottle harder."

Sam looks back up at her, frowning.

When Andy turns to face Sam, she shrugs. "He needs to be bribed, but I don't think you do."

Sam raises his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah," Andy replies, thankful for the escape. "Sam Swarek, the bad-boy. You're not gonna rat me out. Maybe if I drank the whole bottle, but not for that."

"You sure about that?" Sam asks.

Andy smiles. "Notorious rule breaker?" she says, quirking an eyebrow. "Yeah, I'm positive."

"Gambling of any sort is a bad habit to get into," Sam says. "It's hard to break."

"It's not gambling if there's no risk."

"No risk?" Sam says, quirking an eyebrow. "How?"

"Simple. You have nothing to gain from ratting me out, and even if you did, you don't want to."

He raises his eyes again to study her, gradually shifting his gaze upward until their eyes meet. They stare at each other for a moment; the intensity of the look growing the longer they hold each other's gaze, but neither one is able to look away.

"So are we still playing poker or what?" Oliver asks, trying to steer the conversation back to the game. When he doesn't receive a response, he looks from Sam to Andy and back again, his eyes widening. "Whoa guys, do I need to get the hose monkeys in here? Or remind both of you that you're seeing other people, and that this is out of the question, not going to happen, forbidden. Wrong. Very wrong."

That snaps them out of it.

Andy looks away, just as her dad starts coming back into the room. She sees Sam steal a quick glance at Oliver who has his lips pressed together. "Not done yet?" Tommy asks, surprised.

Andy shakes her head. "Officer Swarek here seems to be taking his time."

Sam withholds a sigh. This girl is definitely getting to him. He's just thankful that she'd changed into a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants, although if he's honest with himself, even with the loungewear and her hair pulled up in a messy bun, she still looks gorgeous.

The bets increase to the point where Tommy says, "Andy sweetie, are you sure about this? That's an awful lot."

"Uh huh," she says. "Positive," she adds as she looks back up at Sam.

He studies her for a moment before the final card is flipped. Sam has an okay hand, but nothing great. He's banking on Andy having even less though – actually, he thought she'd pull out much earlier but when she didn't, he just kept going. He knew it had gotten a little out of hand, especially given he didn't have a solid read on her yet, but the look in her eyes made him continue.

Oliver looks back and forth. "Reveal," he says.

**Thanks again for reading! Let me know what you think so far :)**


	3. Bluff

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**Recap: Sam, Oliver, Tommy, and Andy are engaged in a poker game. Tommy is oblivious to the fact that Andy is playing with the sole purpose of winning Oliver's silence regarding the existence of her boyfriend. During the game, she further tests Oliver's limits when she drinks her father's alcohol and bribes him afterwards with poker chips. Sam and Andy share a heated stare, and Oliver is forced to snap them back to reality.**

_Oliver looks back and forth. "Reveal," he says. _

Sam hesitates, then flips his cards over. "Not much," he admits with a shrug, putting the cards down so they're face up.

Andy laughs, then slowly flips her own cards. She barely beat Sam.

"You went in on that?" Oliver says, blown away.

"I told you he was bluffing," Andy says with a shrug.

"Yeah, and so were you," Sam replies, smirking. He actually really doesn't mind losing to her at the moment.

"But at least _my_ bluff paid off," she says, grinning.

He shakes his head. "This time."

"Oh don't worry Officer Swarek, it will work next time too," she replies, still smiling.

Sam laughs, turning to Tommy. "Did you teach her?"

"Not quite like that," says Tommy, still shaking his head at his daughter's bold move.

She folds for several hands in a row. "Lose your boldness?" Oliver teases.

Andy smiles. "No, I just thought I should give Officer Swarek a chance to get back in the game before I steal the rest of his money."

Sam looks at her, eyes wide. "Not happening."

"If you say so," Andy drawls, pressing her lips together to hold back another smile.

It's silent for several minutes – she takes the time to study Sam a little more, but Oliver interrupts her.

"You back on the basketball team this year or do you have to wait for tryouts?"

"Uh huh," she says, watching as her dad folds. Then realizing she hasn't really answered his question, she adds, "Basketball's already started. We have playoffs next week. But yeah, I got to skip tryouts this year, same with soccer… I'm thinking about playing hockey this year too, but we'll see."

"And you're still planning on working the rest of the school year?" asks Oliver, frowning.

"Uh huh."

"You can manage all that?"

Andy finally looks up at him. "Yeah," she says, as if she can't understand why she wouldn't be able to.

"You know you're going to land some pretty nice scholarships anyway, so do you just enjoy torturing yourself by adding on the extra?"

Andy laughs, but says nothing. She can handle it.

"Still planning on following in your old man's footsteps?" Oliver says when the silence persists for several minutes.

"Old man?" says Tommy, faking offence.

Oliver grins and waits for Andy's response.

Meanwhile, Sam looks up at her, trying not to look too curious. It isn't unusual for a cop's child to follow in his or her footsteps, but he's never heard Tommy or Oliver mention that Andy's even considered becoming a cop, not that he's heard a whole lot about her in the first place. This could definitely make things interesting.

"Yeah, maybe," she says, shrugging.

There isn't much else said until both Oliver and her father are out of poker chips. She'd played a few hands to ensure Sam wouldn't have too many chips, but in the process she'd also wiped out the others. She smiles as her dad pushes his chair back in defeat, leaving her to battle it out with the new guy.

The hands go back and forth for the most part, until Andy wins three consecutive hands, pulling her ahead slightly.

"Watch out Sammy, she's been sizing you up all night," Oliver says.

Andy laughs. "You know, for cops, you really aren't very good at reading people," she says. "Maybe you should brush up on those skills and then come back and try to play some real poker."

"A little cocky?" Sam says.

"Confident," she corrects, smiling.

She hears her father get up, no doubt for another drink.

"Did you offend the old man?" asks Oliver.

Andy shakes her head. "Trust me, it would take a lot worse for me to offend him."

"And what about me?" Oliver says.

"Well, _you_ were beat by a high school student, so I don't really think there's much you can say," she retorts, biting back a grin.

Sam laughs.

"Hey, you might be next brother," Oliver warns Sam.

He shrugs.

Andy changes topics, all the while studying Sam's face. "How's Izzy… and your wife?"

"Good, good," Oliver replies. "Izzy's been throwing some temper tantrums, but otherwise she's pretty good. Zoe's having a bit of a hard time with it, but she's doing well."

Andy smiles. "Good."

She directs her next question at Sam. "What about you? You've got a girlfriend. Do you have kids?"

Sam shakes his head and Oliver chuckles.

"Sammy here isn't one for kids and marriage… or relationships in general. In fact, I'm surprised his current girlfriend has lasted three weeks already."

"Thanks Ollie," says Sam, smacking the back of his friend's head.

Andy smirks. "See, that's another reason why I haven't been worried about him opening his mouth," she says, glancing around to make sure her father won't overhear.

Sam frowns. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Andy hastily replies. "Don't worry about it."

"No, I want to hear. So…" prods Sam.

"I just mean you're not like him," she says, nodding towards Oliver. "He's so… by the rules. A family man. You step out of bounds when he's around and you have to justify it or persuade him to keep his mouth shut. You… I don't think you play by the rules, and I suspect the only commitments you make are to your job and your friends…" She turns to look at Oliver as she says, "And I think you're wrong. Just because he may not have considered kids and marriage before doesn't mean he isn't one for it. He just doesn't know how to commit to women because I don't think he really understands them, and he doesn't know how to read them." She sees Sam open his mouth to protest, so she cuts in again, "Don't try to deny it. After two hours, you're starting to get slightly irritated because you still can't read me and figure out when I'm bluffing."

Oliver slaps his friend on the back. "Better give in now buddy, she's just going to take your money from you anyway."

Sam shakes his head. This girl is driving him crazy, but not in an angry way. It's an odd feeling. He runs his tongue along the inside of his teeth before touching it to his cheek. The longer he sits at the table with her, the more confident he is about his initial assessment of her: she really is toxic… addicting. He can't help but want to know more about her, and whenever she smiles or laughs it's a struggle not to do the same. In all fairness, Oliver had warned him that she'd wrap him around her finger – he hadn't believed it at the time, but he suspected she was starting to do just that. Since when had he become such a pushover?

Knowing she's either spot on or close enough with what she'd said, she smiles, then pushes all of her chips into the centre.

Oliver's jaw drops as he turns to look at his friend.

"Your turn Officer Swarek," says Andy, grinning.

Sam looks to Oliver, who merely shrugs. "Can't help you brother," Oliver says. "I haven't won a single hand against her all night."

Andy holds his gaze, feeling his brown eyes piercing her own. She holds it for a moment before lowering her eyes, drumming her fingers against the table.

"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this," Sam says, pushing all of his chips into the pile.

"You should have listened to your gut," Andy replies, flipping her cards to reveal the highest possible hand. Sam groans.

Chuckling, Oliver gathers the money in the middle of the table and hands it to Andy, who smiles at him as she accepts it. Seconds later she's rising from the table.

"Hey, where are you going?" Oliver asks. "We always play two games."

Andy smiles. "_You_ always play two games. _I _know enough to quit when I'm ahead. Besides, I wouldn't feel right taking your money for a second time tonight, so I'll let the three of you fight over it while I finish my homework."

Oliver and Sam laugh, watching as she pours another glass of whiskey for her father, then hides the bottle in one of the kitchen cupboards. Oliver nods to her and gives her a small smile.

When Tommy finally reappears in the room, he kisses his daughter on the forehead in congratulations as she heads into the living room, oblivious to the fact that Sam is still watching her.

**Thanks for reading!**

**So, there's definitely something going on between Sam and Andy, BUT Sam has a girlfriend… AND is Andy really even aware that he's attracted to her? Maybe not as aware as she should be… Up next: What happens when Oliver and Sam run into Andy with her scumbag boyfriend while responding to a noise complaint?**


	4. Law Enforcement

**Welcome back! Thanks for your awesome reviews, and for the follows/favourites. I love reading what you guys think so please keep the reviews coming.**

**Recap: Andy's playing poker with her dad, Oliver, and Sam in an effort to win Oliver's silence regarding the existence of her college-age boyfriend. While her dad is out of the room, Andy's behaviour could be considered somewhat inappropriate, including bribing Oliver for his silence and exchanging intense stares with Sam. Meanwhile, Sam develops an obvious curiosity where Andy is considered, wanting to know more about her, while simultaneously finding himself slowly being wrapped around her finger in the same way Oliver and her dad are… Andy ends up winning the poker game.**

Andy retreats to the front hall to grab her books and iPod, then flops on the couch in the living room so that she's facing the dining room and can still see the guys playing poker.

Within half an hour of opening her math textbook she's snapping it shut again, tossing it on the coffee table along with her notebook containing all of her solutions. As she reaches for her history book, her cell phone buzzes; her boyfriend's name pops up on the screen. Smiling, she snatches it up. "Hey," she says.

"Hey babe," says the voice on the other end of the line. "Those guys still over?"

"Yeah, it's poker night," Andy explains.

"So you gonna come see me tomorrow night?"

"Uh, I can't tomorrow." Seeing both Oliver and Sam staring at her, she rolls her eyes.

"Alright, so what about the day after?" Tyler asks.

"I work 'til seven."

"So I'll pick you up after work and take you for coffee or something?"

"Umm, yeah," says Andy. "I guess so."

"Oh, and one of my buddies is having a party Friday night. I was thinking we could go," says Tyler. "It's at his parents' house – they're away for the weekend and they're pretty loaded, so…"

"Umm, yeah sure, could be fun," Andy replies, biting her lower lip.

"So you think you can give your old man the slip for a bit?"

Andy rolls her eyes again and laughs. "Yeah, I think I can manage."

"Alright, babe, well I'll see you in a couple of days."

"Uh huh," says Andy, hanging up the phone.

She can still sense eyes on her. "Hey dad," she says a little hesitantly at first. "I'm going to go for coffee with a friend Wednesday after work, okay?"

"Sure sweetie."

Andy smiles, her eyes turning to Oliver who looks suspicious. She silently dares him to question her. "And I'm going to hang out with Gail Friday night. I might stay over if it gets too late."

"Gail Peck?" asks Tommy.

"Yeah dad, that's the only Gail I know," she replies.

Sam looks at Oliver. He's heard about the Peck girl – she's just as bad as the rest of her family, maybe even worse. As he studies Andy, he's surprised to find that for the first time all night, he can read her, and she's most definitely lying. He glances at Tommy, but the man continues to reply without looking at his daughter.

"Sure sweetie."

Again, Andy smiles and stares at Oliver, giving a small shrug in response to his questioning look.

* * *

_Wednesday after Andy finishes work…_

She tilts her head to the left, letting her hair fall to the side, as she exposes her neck a little more. Her legs are starting to feel shaky and she can feel the warmth spreading through her. "Where are your keys?" she asks, pulling Tyler the rest of the way to his door.

Tyler breaks away from her for a moment, smirking as he pulls a keychain out of his pocket and fumbles to unlock the door as he kisses her neck again. As the lock slides open, he shoves his keys back in his pocket, then roughly pulls her to him, his hands immediately sliding down to the bottom of her skirt. Realizing he hasn't pushed the door open, he reluctantly removes one hand and raises it to the doorknob, which he quickly turns. Pushing the door open, he backs her into his room.

"You've got to be kidding me," Oliver says angrily.

Sam follows his friend's gaze and sees Andy and her boyfriend stepping into one of the rooms down the hall. As Oliver briskly walks down the hall towards them, Sam's eye widen. "You're not doing what I think you're doing, are you?"

"I'm not going to let that thing touch her," Oliver snaps, glaring at Sam.

He frowns. He's never seen Oliver this upset before. "Are you sure—"

"She's like family to me Sam," Oliver interrupts. "And that guy is a creep. He's going to hurt her."

Sam withholds a sigh and follows his friend. They'd come to the campus to respond to several noise complaint calls, and just happened to stumble across Tommy's rebellious daughter. That girl had trouble written all over her; he knew it from the second he first laid eyes on her. He shakes his head to himself. It isn't that he doesn't agree with Oliver – there's definitely something off about Andy's boyfriend – but he doesn't feel right doing this. He tries to rationalize things. It's to protect her, he knows that, and although he barely knows her, he doesn't want her to get hurt. Still, he thinks she's old enough to make her own decisions without having her father or her father's co-workers meddling with whom she sees and what she does. Nevertheless, he follows his friend without a word.

Oliver pounds on the door. No response. He pounds again, this time harder, and continues to pound until the door finally opens, revealing a shirtless Tyler.

"What?" says Tyler, clearly not impressed that they've been interrupted.

"Andy, get your stuff and get out here," says Oliver, staring at his feet in case she isn't decent.

"Hey man, chill," says Tyler. "We weren't doing anything wrong."

"She's a minor your moron," Oliver snaps. "If you touch her I can arrest you."

Andy gets off the bed, buttoning her shirt back up as she walks to the door. She pushes Tyler to the side a little. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Sam leans up against the wall in the hallway, wanting no part in this conversation.

"Do you have your things?" Oliver demands, ignoring her question.

"Seriously?" Andy says, hands on her hips.

"You're a minor Andy," Oliver reminds her. "And he… he's not worth it."

"You've got to be kidding me?" Andy says, laughing in disbelief. "I'm eighteen tomorrow. Do you really think a few hours is going to make a difference?"

"According to the law it does," Oliver replies, showing no mercy. "You haven't reached the age of majority; he has, and you even said he's in his final year of college… So, according to the criminal code, a person at or over the age of majority who has sex with someone who hasn't reached the age of majority can be considered guilty of statutory rape."

She opens her mouth, staring at him in horror. She can't believe what she's hearing. After grabbing her things, she storms out of the room, shoving past Oliver as she makes her way to the stairwell.

Meanwhile, Oliver shoves Tyler back into the room, then closes the door and follows in Andy's footsteps.

"Andy," Oliver calls out when he sees her walking in the opposite direction of their squad car.

"What?" she snaps, turning to look at him.

"Get in the car."

"No," she says angrily.

"Andy, get in the car now," Oliver says.

"You think you can just tell me what to do?" She laughs dryly. "As if you were so innocent when you were my age…" She lets out a frustrated sigh. "And you're not my father. You might be a cop, but I don't have to go anywhere with you."

"You're right, I'm not your father, but he would be doing the exact same thing right now if he knew you were here," Oliver replies.

"Just because he would doesn't mean you have the right to," she says, turning around again and continuing to walk away.

Oliver starts walking towards her, but Sam finally steps in and intervenes, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder as he walks by. "I've got this," Sam says. He has no idea what he'll say, but Oliver isn't making things any better so he figures he has to give it a shot. When he catches up to Andy, she glances at him, then turns her eyes back to the sidewalk.

"Don't tell me you agree with him?" she says.

"He means well," Sam replies. "And I do think that guy is going to hurt you. Oliver's just trying to protect you."

She rolls her eyes. "Maybe I don't need to be protected."

"So you really don't think your boyfriend is going to hurt you?" he asks slowly.

"Maybe he will, maybe he won't," Andy says, shrugging. "But if he hurts me, that's on me. I'll live, I'll learn."

Sam sighs. "What do you even see in him?"

Andy shrugs again. "Makes me feel good." Seeing Sam's expression, she adds, "About myself."

He hesitantly reaches out and grabs her arm, forcing her to stop. "Give me your phone."

She stares up at him. "Why?"

He holds his hand out, but doesn't answer right away.

Sighing, she pulls out her phone and hands it to him.

As he speaks, he punches his phone number into her phone. "I'm going to give you some advice whether you want it or not." He glances at her to make sure she's listening. "I've seen what guys like that do to girls... If you stay with him, you might be heading down a path you can't come back from. You might not see it now; you might not even see it until you're so deep that you don't know how to get out. I promise you though, nothing good is going to come from staying with him, but it is your choice. Just don't do anything you're not comfortable with, no matter what he says or no matter how he makes you feel. Just use your head, and if you need help, call me."

Andy looks up at him for a moment before turning her eyes back down to the sidewalk. "Yeah," she says quietly, nodding. When nothing else is said, she turns and starts walking again.

"McNally," he calls out, watching as her shoulders slump slightly.

"Yeah?" she says, turning back to face him.

"Oliver's my partner, so I have to back him up," Sam says. "And it's been a really long day, our shift is ending, and I just want to go home, but he's not going to let this go until you let us drive you."

"Seriously?" she says, though she knows it's true. The last thing she wants is to be stuck in a car with Oliver after what he's done. "Fine," she says after a long moment. "But you owe me."

Sam smiles slightly. "Thank you."

He walks side-by-side with her to the car, thankful that Oliver had the sense to get in before they reached it. He opens the back door for her, closes it once she's in, then gets in the passenger side.

"We're dropping by the station first," Oliver says.

Andy stares out the window, but says nothing.

* * *

When they arrive at the station, Andy follows them inside. It's been awhile since she's been there so her eyes start wandering, not realizing that Oliver had stopped. She runs right into him, groaning upon the impact. He looks her over once, then says, "Stay here. We'll be ten minutes max."

"Yes sir," she says, giving him a mock salute.

He shakes his head, keeping his mouth shut until they hit the men's changerooms. "You think I'm wrong, don't you?" he asks his friend.

Sam shakes his head. "I get it, you're trying to protect her."

"But _she_ just doesn't get it," Oliver says. "She's a smart girl and she works so hard, but she's had a rough go of things since her mother left, and she's been trying to fill the void in all of the wrong ways."

Sam shrugs. "She's young, she's just trying to figure things out."

"Yeah, but she can do so much better than that guy, she just doesn't seem to realize that... And she's just so oblivious to the way people look at her."

Sam frowns, but says nothing.

"Don't tell me you didn't notice she's a good looking girl?" Oliver says, forcing out a small chuckle.

Sam shrugs. He'd noticed, but he wasn't quite sure what Oliver was trying to get at. Being an attractive girl could garner more attention from guys and mean she potentially had more options, but a lot of them were bound to be just as bad as her boyfriend.

Oliver sighs. "She's so unaware of it, and that creep is trying to take full advantage of the fact. It makes me sick."

They finish changing out of their uniforms, then lock up their guns and go to find Andy. At first they don't see her, but the sound of her laugh directs them to the bullpen where she's sitting behind one of the desks talking to a few of the guys around her. Sam and Oliver exchange glances.

"Alright boys, back to work," says Oliver. "Leave McNally's daughter alone."

The officers hesitate.

"She's seventeen," Oliver says sharply.

The expression on their faces shifts, and the men quickly scatter, leaving Andy looking alone and rather annoyed.

Once they're outside and heading towards Sam's truck, she says, "You know, that was kind of rude."

Oliver turns to look at her. "What was?"

"Interrupting like that and dragging me out of there. They were telling me a story."

"They were flirting with you," Oliver says. "And I'm not in the mood to have to deal with that later on either. Not to mention, I'm sure your father wouldn't be too thrilled with the idea of his co-workers hitting on his teenage daughter."

She laughs. "They weren't flirting with me, and I'm not a kid anymore so..."

"Yes, they were," Oliver argues. "And you are still a kid Andy."

She looks from Oliver to Sam, a blush creeping into her cheeks upon realizing that Oliver may have been right. After a moment of silence, she argues, "Just because a guy talks to me doesn't mean he's flirting with me… and even if they were, is it really that bad? You clearly don't like Tyler, so aren't those guys better?"

Oliver stops and turns to look at her. He opens his mouth, but immediately shuts it.

"Seriously, not every guy that talks to me wants to sleep with me."

"Alright, so name one guy who hasn't shown any indication of wanting to sleep with you," Oliver says. "And it can't be anyone you consider family."

Andy frowns, tilting her head slightly as she thinks. She typically gets along well with guys, until they get a little too friendly and cross the friend's line. Surely there's someone though. Her eyes fall on Sam. "Him."

Sam looks up, his eyebrows raised. He already told her what he thought, so he's been trying to stay out of the conversation now, even if he has been listening to every word. As he looks at her now, he feels really bad for her. Oliver's right – she really has no idea how gorgeous she is and apparently she hasn't had much luck with guy friends if she's resorting to saying he's one person who wouldn't want to sleep with her. Yeah, she's young, naïve, and currently still a minor, _but_ if she was at least a few years older and he was single… _and_ if she wasn't Tommy's daughter, then if offered the opportunity, he likely wouldn't refuse. _But_ she is too young especially given he's now 23, he isn't single, _and_ she is Tommy's daughter. Again, he feels bad for her. She's a smart girl, but she's more than a little clueless about how men perceive her. It makes him think that maybe Oliver isn't wrong to be so harsh with her – it's likely either Oliver's lectures, or learning the hard way one day, although he isn't so sure it won't be both. Snapping out of his thoughts, he stares at her with schooled features, but says nothing.

Oliver looks at Sam, then back at Andy, shaking his head. "Get in the truck."

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. Hope to see you around for the next chapter!**


	5. Call for Help

**Welcome back! Sorry for the rather large delay in getting this chapter up – it's been an embarrassingly long time. It needed a few changes/fine-tuning before I could continue, but hopefully we're back on track and you're still around. That said, here's a longer chapter.**

**Anyway, thank you guys for your reviews, follows, and favourites. I appreciate all of the feedback so far, and hope you'll continue to let me know what you think!**

**Reminder: This _is_**** a McSwarek story. (ALL of my stories are)**

**Recap: Andy is playing poker with her dad, Oliver, and Sam in an effort to win Oliver's silence regarding the existence of her college-age boyfriend. While her dad is out of the room, Andy's behaviour could be considered somewhat inappropriate, including bribing Oliver for his silence and exchanging intense stares with Sam. Meanwhile, Sam develops an obvious curiosity where Andy is considered, wanting to know more about her, while simultaneously finding himself slowly being wrapped around her finger in the same way Oliver and her dad are… Andy ends up winning the poker game… Sam and Oliver respond to a noise complaint call and end up running into Andy and her boyfriend. Oliver threatens Tyler, and Sam has to convince Andy to let them drive her home.**

**One final note: I apologize for the scene labels - I usually separate each scene with a line - but there still seem to be some issues with formatting and since the lines won't show up, this will at least create a little bit of separation.**

**Scene 1**

Sam leans forward to kiss her, his right hand sliding up behind her neck and tangling itself in her hair as his left hand moves to her hip and just barely grazes her skin. As the kiss deepens, he guides her body down onto the couch.

"Sam," she whines when they break apart for air, her hands tugging at the bottom of his shirt.

He smirks. She's never been one for taking things slow. Right now though, he's more than willing to comply. As his lips move to her neck, his left hand slides up under her shirt. The simple contact is enough to elicit a moan from her. Before he can get much further though, his phone rings and snaps him out of it.

His eyes flick to the clock. It's well after midnight. Nobody he knows would call him at this time of night – at least, nobody who wanted to live. Assuming it's a prank call, Sam gives a small shrug and, ignoring the ringing, focuses his attention back on Lindsay, thankful when his phone finally falls silent.

The silence, however, is short-lived. Seconds later the ringing starts up again. He groans and reluctantly pulls away from his girlfriend, a frown forming on his face as he reaches for his phone. There better be a good reason for the interruption.

"Just ignore it," Lindsay pleads, trying to pull him back in for another kiss.

Although his fingers are now curled around his phone, he briefly concedes, letting her draw him back in. But, each ring tugs a little more at his conscience and curiosity. And it really doesn't help that her whining has turned him off a little too. He hates when she whines – it's the least attractive thing about her, and it seems to be happening more frequently. Then again, whoever is calling has terrible timing, so this time her whining _might_ be warranted. Quite honestly, he isn't exactly thrilled either. Still, Sam finds his curiosity winning. Holding up a hand to silence her, he climbs off the couch and connects the call. "Hello?"

"Sam?"

He frowns, not recognizing the voice. "Yeah?"

There's a brief pause. "Remember when you said I could call you if I needed help?"

His mind races for a moment before it settles on brown hair and brown eyes. "Andy?"

"Yeah."

"What's going on?" he asks, his eyebrows furrowing.

"I could _really_ use some help right now."

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" he presses as he moves a little further away from the couch. Andy sounds out of breath, but there's something else that's off too, he just can't quite put his finger on it.

"Uh," Andy says before a curse escapes her. She steps back into the alley and presses her body up against the brick wall. "I don't know… I'm just… I… I don't know what to do." She groans. With each passing minute she can feel her focus slipping and her body slowly shutting down. The thought of blacking out or waking up in some unknown part of the city terrifies her. "How fast can you get to Wellesley and... and Bay Street?"

Sam runs a hand over his face. "You're serious?"

"Yeah?"

He can hear the uncertainty in her voice, like maybe she's doubting the sincerity of his offer. His eyes flick to Lindsay. This isn't going to go over well. "Ten or fifteen minutes," he finally says.

"Thank you," she breathes. Seconds later the call is disconnected.

Sam stares at his phone for a long moment before walking back to Lindsay. "I have to go."

"Who was it?"

"Cop's kid," Sam says, shrugging. "Needs help."

Lindsay frowns. "Why ask you?"

He hesitates. "Because I told her she could," Sam replies, grimacing at Lindsay's reaction. She most definitely is _not_ impressed. He can't exactly blame her though – they'd been moments away from having sex and he'd just agreed to help another woman… kid? Woman? Hell, he doesn't know what she is anymore. The only thing he really knows at that moment is that he's an idiot, but he told Andy to call him if she needed help and she did. So what was he supposed to do?

"She?" Lindsay says, eyes narrowing.

"Uh yeah," Sam replies, trying not to make a big deal out of it as he puts on his jacket and slides his feet into his shoes.

"How old is she?" She's standing now with her hands planted on her hips.

"Too young to concern you." He kisses her quickly before leaving her place, knowing full well that he's going to pay for that. But, by the time he reaches his truck, he realizes that even if this causes things to go south, he probably won't be all that disappointed. After all, even Oliver's surprised that it lasted this long. And, quite frankly, he is too.

**Scene 2**

Within fifteen minutes he's pulling up to the corner of Wellesley and Bay, jumping a little when the passenger door swings open and Andy throws herself inside. He watches as she hastily does up her seatbelt, then slouches down in the seat and tugs on the hood of her jacket so it covers more of her face. Her shoulders are noticeably rising and falling, and her breathing is heavy. She's definitely been running.

"Can you just..." she begins, but falls silent as she rubs her eyes and groans. Ever since she called him. her focus has been fading in and out, and right now, it's on its way out again. "I just need…" The lights from an approaching car have her shrinking down in her seat, a little lower than before. "Just…" She blinks hard. What the hell is wrong with her? Her eyes are starting to betray her; words are failing her. For all she knows, he isn't really here. She could be passed out in an alley, or back at the residence. His truck, his presence, it could all be part of her imagination. "Drop me off… somewhere… away…" That's all she can manage, at least until her focus comes back. _If_ it comes back.

Sam hesitates. He'd been right – something was definitely off with her. "Not until you tell me what's going on."

His voice sounds distant and blurred, almost like her head is submerged under water – it's all distorted. That is, _if_ he actually spoke at all... _If _he's really even here. At this point she isn't exactly sure what to believe. The idea that she can't even trust her own instincts terrifies her, leaves her feeling a little numb.

When she remains silent, he reaches forward and yanks her hood back, causing her to jump and let out a small cry. His first thought had been that she'd gone to see her idiot boyfriend and that he'd hit her, but there's no sign of bruising.

Andy immediately yanks her hood back up, but not before he sees her glossy eyes and dilated pupils. She starts to panic. _What the hell is going on? Why isn't he driving? Wasn't it supposed to wear off by now? Where are the cops? Is that a siren? That is a siren._ _Oh man._ _Why is he here? Did I call him? He's a cop. Oh my god, I called a cop. Just act cool. He doesn't know. He doesn't need to know. Stay calm. Just stare straight ahead. Maybe he won't notice._

"Are you on something?" he asks, eyes wide. He's only seen her a couple of times before, but she's never been like this. She's fidgeting, more than a little jumpy, and can't seem to focus. She's tripping out. Big time.

His voice cuts through the fog; it sounds a little clearer this time. She struggles to keep her eyes pointed straight ahead. _Oh my god he knows. Lie. Just lie. He won't know. He can't. Doesn't know how to read women, right? Is it hot in here? _Why is he so hot? He clearly works out; even with a jacket it's obvious. H_e should take it off. Yeah, he should definitely take it off. Is it just me or is it hot in here? Yeah, it's way too hot. Why doesn't he just take that damn jacket off? I wonder how he looks in uniform. Who am I kidding? That man would probably look good in anything… Even one of those stupid banana suits._ She almost giggles at the thought, but manages to keep it in as her thoughts turn again. _If he arrests me, will he pat me down? I wouldn't mind if… Focus. Lie. _"I'm not…" She shakes her head, but everything is swimming in front of her eyes. "…Not on anything," she finally manages, her tone a little rough.

Sam snatches up her hand and holds it loosely in his palm. He can feel her trembling and suspects it has very little to do with natural adrenaline or fear.

_He's so warm. Fire. Campfires. Her dad. Oh, he'll be mad. He can't know. Does Sam know? Why's he here? Oh yeah, I called him… I think. Why'd he come? Have we moved? I don't think we've moved. _She squints as she looks out the side window, but her focus is so shot she can't even tell if it's the same building as before. _Seriously if he keeps holding my hand like that I'm going to… What am I going to do? Is the rest of his body this warm? Focus. Pull your hand away. _She felt her fingers curl around his hand. _No. No. No. Pull it away. Don't jump him. Don't touch him. Don't look at him. _She yanked her hand away, but couldn't stop herself from looking at him. He was studying her. That much she could tell, even if her vision wasn't great. _Stop acting weird; he's getting suspicious. _She narrowed her eyes. _Be vulgar. He'll think that's normal. Vulgar or rude. Rude. Okay._ "Didn't take you for a hand holder," she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. _Not rude enough. How did I even form a whole sentence? Doesn't matter. Focus._

"And I didn't take you for an idiot," Sam retorts. She's definitely on some sort of drug, but her current symptoms aren't giving any indication as to which one.

_Did he just call me an idiot? _"If I'm an idiot," she begins, taking a deep breath as she struggles to string the words together. _How is it that he made being an idiot sound sexy? _Her eyes flick to his lips. _I wonder what it would feel like… Focus. What was I saying again? Oh. Right. _"And I beat you in poker…" She shakes her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts. _What would happen if I beat him at poker? No wait, I already did. But he thinks I'm an idiot. Bingo. _"What does that make you?"

Sam's eyes widen. Truthfully, he's the idiot that's catering to the needs of a kid, but he's not about to admit that. Unbuckling his own seatbelt, he leans toward her and sniffs.

She knows she isn't thinking straight, but she's completely caught off-guard by his action. "Did you… did you just smell me?" she asks, staring at him in disbelief. _He smells good. I hope I don't smell bad. _Taking a deep breath she subtly tries to see if she smells, but all she can smell is him. She wants to pull him back when he moves away, but is distracted when a car door slams somewhere behind them. Again, she jumps.

The only thing he can smell is the alcohol in her breath, so whatever she took had to have been ingested or injected, not smoked. "Show me your arms."

"What?" Andy says, quirking an eyebrow, or at least that's what she's trying to do, but at this point she isn't quite sure if her body is cooperating.

"Push up your sleeves and show me your arms."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours." _Chill. You sound like a two year old_, she silently scolds herself.

He stares at her for a long moment before shrugging off his jacket. Normally he wouldn't give in, but this might be the quickest way to get her to do what he wants. Sure enough, she follows suit. Wasting no time, he grabs her arms and examines them, turning them so he can take a better look. Seeing no sign of needle marks, he pulls back into his own seat and runs a hand over his face. What the hell is he supposed to do with her? "You didn't smoke it or inject it, so what the hell did you take?"

"Oh my god," Andy says, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Will you just give up?"_ He's not going to. What was I thinking? I wasn't. _

"_You_ called me," Sam replies, eyes narrowing.

He watches her shrink back as a cop car drives passed them. His patience is starting to wear thin. "Andy, what did you do?" His tone is sharp and demanding.

"I didn't... I didn't do anything." She's starting to panic. Struggling to see through the fog. Failing to find a way out of this mess. She rubs her face, cursing before unconsciously crying out and throwing her head into her lap. It's all too much to handle right now. Way too many thoughts and emotions are running through her, and she has no idea how to cope with all of it.

Sam takes a deep breath in an attempt to keep his temper from flaring up. "You called me around one in the morning, asking me to pick you up. It's obvious you ran from something and the sight of that cop car freaked you out." He pauses and takes another deep breath. She's too smart to be acting this stupid. And he's probably being stupid by helping her. "You can't involve me like this and not tell me what's going on, so unless you want me to turn around and follow that cop car back to the station, then you'd better be ready to give me an explanation."

"It's nothing," Andy says firmly, but when Sam turns the truck around and heads in the direction the cop car went, she reaches out and grabs his arm. "Okay... Okay, I'll tell you… Just go somewhere else, anywhere but here."

"Your house?" he asks, knowing full well that she's about as likely to want to go there as the station.

"Nooooo," Andy says. _Is he serious? My dad will KILL me. _"Uhhh…" She hesitates. She can't stay with Gail since she lives at home with her parents, and since she just came from her boyfriend's university that's out of the question too.

Sam glances at her, biting back a disgruntled sigh before turning down a side street and heading to his place. Along the way he glances over at her a few times, noting the slight shift in her demeanour each time. When they finally pull up to his house, he starts to get out, but pauses when he realizes she hasn't budged. "Coming?" he asks.

She raises her hand so it's about a foot away from her face and starts rotating it, tilting her head as she stares at it in fascination.

"McNally?" he says, raising his voice a little.

She jumps. Her head snaps in his direction. "Huh?"

"Get out," he says, gesturing to the building.

"Oh," she says, but as she looks at him, she breaks out in a fit of giggles.

He curses. Whatever she's on clearly hasn't fully made its way through her system yet – he only hopes that the laughing means she's winding down. He can't be sure though and that makes him nervous – if something happens to her while she's in his care... "I'm taking you to the hospital," he mutters. He just can't risk being wrong.

"No," Andy cries, fumbling with the door handle for a second before tumbling out of the truck and onto the pavement.

Sam scrambles out of the vehicle and runs around to the other side to find her lying on the ground laughing. "I'm not going to risk having you die just because—"

"I'm not going to die," she says, but she can't finish speaking without laughing again.

"Prove it. Tell me what you're on and how much you took." He reaches down and helps her up.

"Not out here," she says in a hushed voice, putting a finger to his lips. _Soft, just like I originally thought. I bet he's a good kisser. Probably better than Tyler._

He gently pulls her hand away and tries to help her back into the truck.

"Let go," she says, struggling against him. Each breath is short and sharp. Tears threaten to spill over. Her entire body is trembling harder.

"You need to go to the hospital," Sam hisses, his eyes flicking to a guy passing by.

"No," she says, shoving him away. She starts heading down the street, stumbling slightly with every few steps she takes.

"Stop," Sam says, quickly catching up to her and gently grabbing her arm.

"I'm not…" She blinks hard, trying to focus. "I'm not going."

"Okay, just come inside then," Sam says, forcing himself to use a gentler tone. There's no way he's going to let her go off on her own, and he has a feeling that if he picks her up and tries to put her in his truck, he won't be able to keep her there long enough to get in the other side.

She tries to shake him off. The tears finally spill over. "What do you care?"

He stares at her. Is this what Tommy has to deal with everyday? He'd much rather see her on the ground laughing than have to deal with her stubborn streak, especially after the night he'd given up. "I don't want to see you get hurt or worse, okay?"

She laughs dryly. "I shouldn't have called you… You're exactly like them." She thought he was different, but the way he's treating her now, the way he's talking, it's the same thing she gets from her dad and Oliver. All the time. And she's sick of it.

"Then why did you?" Sam asks, not quite sure how he feels about being lumped into the same category as Oliver or her dad. As he speaks, he slowly pulls her towards his place. He suspects she really isn't even aware of the fact that they're walking.

"There isn't anyone else."

He frowns. She has her dad and Oliver, and from what he's heard, she has a lot of friends. Maybe nobody she can turn to about this though. That's when it hits him. "Where's your boyfriend? Why didn't you call him?"

She laughs again. "That idiot? He's probably sitting in the slammer waiting for his dad to talk his way out."

Sam frowns. "If he's such an idiot, then why are you with him?"

"His dad's some hot-shot lawyer, but Tyler's totally damaged. Not one of those preppy kids from school. He's real. A total screw-up... My dad would _hate_ him."

His step falters. "If you're with him to get back at your dad for something, why hide it?"

Andy rubs her face and looks up at him. Her focus is starting to come back a little, but it's still not great. "I'm too far gone to have this conversation right now."

"Try."

Squinting up at him, she sighs. "What my dad doesn't know can't hurt him... can't make things worse... but it doesn't mean I can't find some joy in knowing that he'd completely flip if he found out."

"That's the most screwed up thing I've ever heard," Sam says.

"Yeah well, you know my dad, right? So you should know our family is pretty screwed up."

He manages to unlock his door and pull them inside without her realizing. Her eyes have been trained on his face the entire time; her thoughts have been focused on every word that came out of her mouth. Now that they're inside though and it's noticeably warmer, he watches as it finally starts to register with her.

"I… what…?" She blinks hard, taking in her new surroundings.

Sam pulls her further into his place, then gestures towards the couch in his living room. "Sit," he says, as he retreats to the kitchen to get a glass of water. When he returns, she's rubbing her eyes again. "Drink it," he says, passing her the glass.

She takes the water and downs half of it within a few seconds.

"So what happened?"

Andy sits down on the couch, her feet planted firmly on the floor as she turns to look at him. Seconds later though, she's pulling her feet up onto the couch, then shifting again so her legs are crossed. She changes positions a few more times before looking at him oddly. "I was supposed to go to a party."

"With Gail?"

"No," Andy says. "Well, I mean, she was there, but I wasn't supposed to go with her. She only went because I didn't really know anybody... and I don't know… it's Gail. We do everything together... Do you know her? You probably do. Her mom's like the superintendent so I'm sure you've met her daughter… or at least heard of her."

"Yeah, I know her," Sam says, trying to get Andy back on track. At this point though, he isn't sure if that's possible. He could barely get anything out of her before, and now that he has her talking, she's all over the place. Everything about her has been all over the place tonight: her moods, her actions, reactions, thoughts, focus, attitude toward him. Everything. And it was like someone had just flipped another switch in her.

"Okay, good, well maybe not good, she's kind of a real bitc—"

"Andy, I know who Gail is, so why don't you tell me where you were?"

"Oh, okay," Andy says, frowning. "Well, I was supposed to go to this rich kid's house party with Tyler, but apparently the kid screwed up the weekend his parents are out of town, so… who does that? I mean, he invited like over a hundred kids and—"

He waves his hand. "Where did you actually go?"

"Oh. Right. Umm, well it was one of the residences at the university. I don't even know which one anymore. Did you know that each residence has its own—"

Sam rubs his face. "What happened while you were there?"

"You know what I said about Gail? I meant it, but she's like my BFF. She's kind of like what Oliver is to you, you know?"

"Got it," Sam says. "Now what happened when you were at the residence?"

"I'm getting there," Andy says, rolling her eyes. "You're not very patient, are you?" Panic flashes across her face. "I mean, you're… uh… you're not going to take me back, are you? I didn't—"

"Focus," Sam says sharply. He nudges the glass of water towards her lips again and she obediently drinks the rest of it. Once empty, he takes the glass from her and goes to the kitchen to refill it, surprised when she follows him and pushes herself up onto one of the stools behind the counter.

Andy swivels in the chair, spinning it around several times until she sees Sam's face appear. In an attempt to stop herself, she grabs onto the counter, but is so dizzy at that point that she topples over.

Sam just barely manages to set the glass down in time to steady her. "I think that's enough spinning McNally."

Andy looks at her hands, which are firmly planted on his biceps. "You're fit. Like _really_ fit." Her eyes shift to his chest before moving up to his face. "Did I just say that?" She shakes her head and blinks hard. "I—"

Sam releases her and hands her the glass of water, ignoring her comment. "You were about to tell me what happened at the residence."

"Yeah," she says, accepting the water from him. "They do a lot of really weird things there. Like this one guy was—"

Sam rubs his face. "Andy," he says sharply. "Focus on my question. I don't care what anyone else did. I don't care what you saw. Just tell me what's relevant. What did you take?"

"I…" Andy begins, but seconds later she's squeezing her eyes shut as a wave of nausea hits her.

Sam takes her hand and leads her to the bathroom, just barely making it there before Andy throws up. Sliding a hair elastic off her wrist, he pulls her hair back, then grabs a cloth and hands it to her.

Tears are streaming down her face when she finally pulls away from the toilet and sits down, leaning up against the counter.

"What did you take?" he asks again, his tone a little softer this time.

She hastily wipes away the tears and shakes her head. "I don't know."

He stares at her in disbelief. "You took something without knowing what it was?"

"No…" she says.

He gives her a hard look.

"Okay, well, maybe," Andy says weakly. "I mean, Tyler said he's done it before. Said it would loosen me up for a couple of hours, and like _everybody_ was doing it there."

"So you thought you would too?"

"They were having fun."

Before she can ramble some more, he says, "Why though? Didn't you listen to anything I said before?"

"I heard you, but I... I snapped." She hesitates. "And I may have had too much to drink, and uh…"

"And what?" Sam presses.

Grimacing, she says, "I may have also had a brownie."

He stares down at her, struggling to school his features. "Let me guess, it was special?"

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't know?… That when I ate it, I didn't know it had weed in it," Andy says, wiping another tear away.

"Is that the truth?"

She nods.

"But you aren't just drunk and high on marijuana," Sam says. "What else?"

"I don't know," she says quietly. "It was some kind of pill… blue… It's supposed to be new."

"So you took something without knowing exactly what it was, and knowing that it was new?" he asks, stunned. "Do you have any idea how much product passes through this city that isn't clean? People die from this kind of thing. Why would you even risk that?"

"Because I'm tired," she says, the tears coming faster. "I'm sick of coming home to find my dad passed out on the couch. Sick of watching him drink his way to the bottom of one bottle after another. I don't want to have to deal with it anymore. I don't want to see it, or hear about it. But he won't stop or get help. And I can't ignore it anymore…"

"So you think this is better than what he's doing?"

Throwing herself towards the toilet once more, she empties the contents of her stomach. After wiping her face, she leans back against the cupboards. "I know it's not, but for a few hours, I was able to forget everything. Forget that there was a time when he was a good dad. _Really_ good. The kind of guy that takes his daughter camping every year, reads a story before bed…"

"He loves you," Sam says.

"Yeah, well, it's always ramped up when people are over… puts on a show, tries to make it seem like everything's okay, but it's not. He hasn't been the same since my mom left," Andy replies. "You know, he doesn't come to any of my basketball or soccer games anymore, and he didn't even remember my birthday this year... I mean, I shouldn't be surprised, and I shouldn't be upset because it's not even a big deal. It's just a stupid day, but—"

"Did you talk to him about it?"

"I've tried, but he doesn't remember it in the morning anyway, and he won't listen when he's sober." She pauses. "I don't want to remember any of it though... I just wanted to have fun for one night, and just not care. I wanted to fit in, to feel like I belonged somewhere, and tonight I did."

"You don't have to do those things to fit in or be accepted," Sam says. "You're smarter than that."

"Can I have some more water?" she asks, rubbing her face.

He retreats to the kitchen to grab her glass and returns to find her passed out. After a hesitant moment, he slides down beside her. "I don't know what to do with you," he whispers.

**Scene 3**

_The next day…_

When Andy wakes up, the room is spinning, but she knows she's beyond the point where she'll be sick again. Head pounding, she squints as she tries to take in her surroundings, only faintly remembering coming to Sam's house. She remembers being in the bathroom, but she doesn't remember going there or coming back. And she's pretty sure she told him something, maybe even a lot; she just has no idea what. All she really knows is that right now she's on the couch in his living room. Sam is sitting on the opposite end, his head propped up by his left hand and his eyes closed. His breathing tells her he's still sleeping. Her eyes land on the clock. It's nine in the morning. She wonders how late they were up, and just how much she could have said in that time. Panic courses through her, but it doesn't last long. He helped her; he didn't arrest her. A small smile touches her lips before she slowly gets up off the couch and searches for a piece of paper and pen. When she finally finds what she needs, she scribbles a quick '_Thank you'_, then leaves the piece of paper on the couch before quietly making her way outside.

**Thanks again for reading! Up next, Andy's life really starts to spiral out of control. But, what happens when Sam finally draws the line? **


	6. Butting Heads

**Welcome back! As always, thanks for your reviews/follows/favourites! You guys definitely know how to get me to blush with your kind words, so thank you for all of your feedback and support!**

**Oh, and as you'll see, this chapter sort of starts off like the last one, but don't worry, there's nothing to it.**

**And this chapter grew to be 8,224 words, so I'm breaking it in "half". So basically, there won't be a long wait between this update and the next. That said, if this chapter doesn't entirely go along with what I said to expect, that's because part of it comes in the next chapter… For my future reference though (if this happens again), would you guys prefer a super LONG chapter but potentially a longer wait time between updates, or smaller (but still decent length) chapters with less of a wait time? Anyone have a preference?**

**Recap: Andy is playing poker with her dad, Oliver, and Sam in an effort to win Oliver's silence regarding the existence of her college-age boyfriend. While her dad is out of the room, Andy's behaviour could be considered somewhat inappropriate, including bribing Oliver for his silence and exchanging intense stares with Sam. Meanwhile, Sam develops an obvious curiosity where Andy is considered, wanting to know more about her, while simultaneously finding himself slowly being wrapped around her finger in the same way Oliver and her dad are… Andy ends up winning the poker game… Sam and Oliver respond to a noise complaint call and end up running into Andy and her boyfriend. Oliver threatens Tyler, and Sam has to convince Andy to let them drive her home. Andy ends up calling Sam in the middle of the night to pick her up, and he finds out that she's been doing drugs and running from the cops.**

* * *

Sam has her shirt halfway over her head when his phone starts ringing. "You've got to be kidding me," he mutters, already having a pretty good idea of who's calling without even having to look at the screen. Sure, he's only heard from her once, and that was about three weeks ago, but the fact that he's positive it's her means that she hasn't figured things out after all. He barely withholds a groan. The first two weeks after picking her up had been spent butting heads with Lindsay. Every time they'd tried to get intimate, she brought up Andy, and every time she mentioned Andy's name, he found himself becoming abnormally defensive. So, after two weeks of nothing but fighting, they called it quits. Not that is was surprising. The convenience factor had long-since vanished and they weren't serious enough to really try to work things out. But tonight he's with someone again – for the first time since Lindsay – and here's Andy throwing another wrench into things... his life, to be more specific. With each ring he gets a sinking feeling that he's in for another round, this time with...

His eyes flick to Emily's face… At least he's pretty sure her name is Emily. Or Emma? Anna? Hell, he doesn't know anymore. He'd met her a few hours ago at The Penny. They hadn't talked much, but it was clear what she was after, and he wasn't about to object. She was pretty: blond hair, petite. Definitely his type. So he went for it. Bought her a few drinks and took her home. And now his night is about to be derailed again by the teenage brunette.

Shooting her an apologetic look, he connects the call. "You're not running again, are you?"

"Uh, no… nope, I'm definitely not running," Andy replies, her teeth pressing down on her lower lip as she looks around.

"So…?"

"So…" She pauses. She needs help. She _really_ needs help, but how far is he willing to go?

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Sam asks, rubbing his face.

_He's not going to help_, Andy thinks, eyes widening. Then again, it is almost two in the morning, later than the last time she'd called him. She silently curses. "Yeah, I know." She takes a deep breath. "Look I'm _really_ sorry. It's just…" She falls silent again, struggling to find the least damaging way of putting things.

"Just what, McNally?" Sam asks. She doesn't sound high or drunk, so what can she possibly want?

"I kind of need you to come get me… As in, I _really_ need you to get me…" She pauses, listening for a moment to the silence on the other end. "Please?" she adds, hating how desperate she suddenly sounds, but truth be told, she is pretty much at her last straw.

"From?" Sam presses. He's already getting a bad feeling, like he isn't going to like what he's about to hear.

She gives him an address that sounds familiar, but he can't quite place it.

He hesitates, smirking as he feels the woman's hands roaming his body. Does he really want to do this again? Just drop his personal life to help her? At this rate and with her timing, he won't even have much of a personal life anymore. Deciding to assess the situation a little more and find out how bad things are, he asks, "What if I'm busy?"

Silence.

"Andy?"

"Okay," she says quietly, her voice shaking.

Sam withholds a groan. She sounds scared now.

"I've gotta go," she says, her voice barely audible.

"McNally, wait," Sam says, sighing. "Why me? I know I said I'd help, but why me?"

Andy closes her eyes, pressing her lips together before finally taking a deep breath and saying, "Look, I'm sorry I bothered you, okay? But, I've gotta go."

He can tell she's probably struggling to hold back tears now. "Tell me why and I'll come get you."

Silence.

"Andy?"

"Because you know… and this is the only call I have."

He can hear some people in the background, and can make out enough of the conversations to get a pretty good idea of where she is now. "Were you arrested?"

"I... Maybe."

"Yes or no?" he asks sharply, though he's pretty sure he already knows the answer. He's hoping he's wrong though.

"Yes." Again, she sounds timid, uncertain, and scared.

"Last time McNally," Sam says. If Tommy or Oliver find out he kept this from them, he'll be in a lot of trouble. He really isn't even sure why he listened to her and kept his mouth shut in the first place. Or why he's about to do it again. Well, except for the fact that he hadn't taken Oliver seriously when his friend warned him that Andy would have him wrapped around her finger. He hadn't listened, and here he is, the hardheaded rookie who doesn't take crap from anyone, suddenly driving around the city at all hours of the night, any night, to help her out. Yeah, he supposes he knows exactly why he listens to her. As much as he doesn't understand it and would love to deny it, Andy McNally has rapidly become his weakness. He's determined to fix that though.

"Thank you."

When he hangs up the phone, he looks back at the woman to find her arms folded across her chest. "Got a girlfriend?"

Sam shakes his head.

"Then why do I have a feeling you're gonna ditch me?"

He hesitates. "A… friend needs help."

"At two in the morning?" she asks, hands on her hips. She's now staring at him like he has three heads.

He runs a hand over his face. Does he really have to have this conversation with every woman? No. This is the last time; he meant it when he told Andy that. He can't keep dropping everything for her. She has to learn, and she won't do that if she has him as her safety net 24/7. For a brief moment he contemplates letting Andy wait, making sure she realizes he's serious – maybe even teach her a lesson. But he can't. She really does have him wrapped around her finger, but that's about to change. "Yeah," is all he says as he looks at her.

"Do you always run off and help your friend like this? Let him or her control your life?"

Sam clenches his teeth. Is this woman really giving him a lecture? Sure, maybe he's being a bit of a pushover when it comes to Andy, but who is she to tell him? Maybe it's a good thing they didn't talked much at The Penny. He hesitates a fraction of a second before grabbing his jacket and putting on his boots. He knows it's completely unnecessary, but this woman is getting on his nerves, so when he speaks next, he makes sure he emphasizes that Andy's a woman. "_She_ needs my help."

"Yeah, well, whoever _she_ is, she's not worth it. She clearly doesn't have any boundaries."

Sam ignores her and heads for the door.

"I'm telling you now, if you walk out that door, you're missing out sweetheart. That girl just isn't worth it."

He meets her eyes for a moment, then flings the door open and leaves without another word or glance back.

* * *

_At 27 Division..._

Sam picks up the pen, but hesitates. His name is going to be all over this document, and it could very well come back to bite him. He glances to his right. At least Andy has the decency to look ashamed. Still, he wants to pull her aside and make her promise to quit whatever the hell she's been up to, but until he signs the document, he can't take her anywhere, and asking her with another officer just feet away will only make things worse... for both of them. Shaking his head, he signs the document and nods to the officer, who then frees Andy from the handcuffs.

She follows him out of the station, but stops when they're a few metres away from the sidewalk. "Thanks," she says, her eyes cast downward.

He turns back and stares at her in disbelief. Does she really think he's just going to leave her here? "Get in the truck." His voice is sharp and demanding.

"I didn't do anything," she says quietly, still staring at the ground.

"McNally, get in the truck," he growls. "I'm taking you home."

She hesitates, her voice a little louder this time when she speaks. "I'm not going home."

"Like hell you aren't," he says, trying to keep his voice down so that they won't attract any attention.

"I can't go home yet," she says firmly, her eyes slowly making their way up his body, though they stop when they reach his chest. She can't quite bring herself to look him in the eye.

Sam studies her for a moment, then tilts her chin up, taking a quick glance around before saying, "Why did they bring you in?" When she doesn't respond, he adds, "They wouldn't have released you if you were on something, so what is it?"

She turns her head away, breaking contact with his hand. "I told you I didn't do anything."

"Then why won't you go home?" He's starting to get a little irritated now. Why the hell did he have to offer his help again? _Because I'm an idiot_. _Got sucked in by big brown eyes, a sweet smile, and burning curiosity._

"I, uh…" She pauses, shifting nervously from foot to foot. "I have to get something."

Gently grabbing her arm, he pulls her toward his truck. "Get in and I'll take you."

She hesitates, but doesn't have much of a choice with the way he's boxing her in, so she finally nods and gets in the truck, giving him the address when he climbs in the other side.

The drive is done in silence, but there's nothing comfortable about it. They're almost at the destination when she says, "Can you pullover?"

Sam glances at her before taking in the surroundings. It's not exactly the safest neighbourhood. "We aren't there yet."

She hesitates. "I know, but this is it."

He gives her a hard look before pulling over, getting out and following her as she heads down an alley.

When she looks over her shoulder and sees him a couple of metres behind her, she stops rather abruptly, her heart pounding heavily in her chest. "Uh, what are you doing?"

His eyes narrow. "You didn't think I was just going to let you walk around here alone, did you?"

Andy swallows hard. "Uh… You know, maybe I'll just go home after all."

"Are you meeting someone?"

"No."

"Then get whatever you're here to get," he replies, starting to get a pretty good idea of why they're here.

She stiffens.

"Is there a problem?" he presses.

"Umm, nope," Andy replies. "Just looking for my watch." She searches his face to see if he can see through her lie, but for once she can't really read him. Turning abruptly, she starts moving further down the alley, deciding that she'd better put some distance between them in case he decides to check her wrist.

Still, she looks back at him a little nervously, but he merely gestures for her to continue searching, his eyes locked on her back as she turns her head away.

Partway down, she moves to the side, kneels, and grabs something. Her heart is pounding heavily in her chest. When she stands, she slowly turns to face him, trying her best to adopt a neutral expression. "Okay," she says. "Found it." She's fiddling with the strap on her watch as if she'd just been putting it on.

Sam isn't buying it. It may have worked on some people, but he's been getting a better read on her and he's positive she's hiding something. He silently reminds himself that things need to change. "Empty your pockets."

Her eyes meet his. "Why?"

"Do it."

Andy shakes her head. "No thanks."

He takes a deep breath. "McNally, you're going to empty your pockets, or I'm going to do it for you."

She believes him, and that scares her because even though she's pretty sure he knows what she has, she can't bring herself to actually show him. As fear consumes her, her common sense abandons her. She tries to bolt, but he's ready.

Sam reaches out and catches her around the middle. "Stop," he growls. "I'm trying to help you."

"You already did," she says, struggling to free herself. "Now let go."

"No." He gently pulls her towards the brick wall and quickly turns her so her back is pressed up against the solid surface. She's still fighting him though, so he pins her with his forearm. "This needs to stop." His eyes flick to the end of the alley. He knows that this isn't exactly an ideal place to have this kind of conversation, and that if anyone happens to walk by, they might very well think that he's mugging her... or worse. Grimacing, he turns his attention back to her. "Hand it over."

Andy's terrified. She's fairly certain he won't do anything to hurt her, but she's equally sure that she's not going to get away without giving him what he wants. In a final weak attempt to shrug it off, she says, "You want my watch?"

He grinds his teeth together. "Give me the drugs." He can feel her body trembling, and almost considers backing off, but what good will that do? "Andy?" he says, his voice a little softer.

She closes her eyes and a tear escapes, slowly rolling down her left cheek. She hates the fact that she's crying in front of him; she hates that she's even crying at all. But the night's activities have worn her out physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Now he feels guilty. He made her cry. Slowly raising his other hand, he gently wipes the tear away. When her eyes open and she looks up at him, he feels himself being sucked back in. The look in her eyes is heartbreaking, and although he doesn't really understand it, he wants to comfort her. Dropping his forearm, he wraps her up in his arms, pulling her tight to his body. It only takes a few seconds for her arms to wrap around him too. "I can't help you, unless you help me," he says quietly, running a hand up and down her back in a soothing manner. He can gradually feel the tension leave her body.

Andy nods into his chest, takes a deep breath, and pulls away.

"It's just me, okay? I already know," he says, wiping the tears from her face again.

"Okay," she breathes. She takes a long, shaky breath as she reaches into the pocket of her jeans and hands him a small bag.

Sam watches her drop the bag into the palm of his hand, staring at it for a brief second before pocketing it. The last thing he needs is for anyone to see that. Although he's never seen the pill before, he recognizes it based on what Andy had told him. He runs a hand over his face, desperately trying to keep his anger at bay. She's smarter than this. "Why would you even risk it? Do you have any idea what would have happened if they'd caught you with this?"

"Yeah," Andy replies, her walls slamming back up. "Which is why I dropped it."

She's becoming defensive, and that's only causing his temper to flare more. "So you're still doing it?"

She remains silent.

He's losing control. "If you'd even had one drink or taken one pill—"

"But I didn't," she replies, a hint of anger in her own voice. "I didn't do anything... They had nothing on me. I was there, that's it." She left out the fact that she hadn't had a single thing to drink and hadn't done any drugs because she'd just arrived at the party.

He forces himself to turn away and take a deep breath before looking at her again. Maybe she really wasn't going to do those things. Or maybe she'd just been lucky. Either way, she still had the pills with her. He sighs. This whole night feels like a roller coaster, one that isn't going to end anytime soon. "I want to help you Andy, I really do, but this has to stop." He pauses. "I can't do this anymore, because every time I do, it's like it makes it okay and it's not. You're just going to do it again, so I can't." He takes a deep breath. "I... I'm done," he says, meeting her eyes. "You need to learn, and you can't do that if I'm always around to bail you out."

"Fine," she says, trying to shrug it off. If she's honest with herself, she's a little hurt, but she gets it. He has a life, and she's been getting in the way. She starts walking back toward the road, doing her best not to look at him when he steps up beside her. When they finally reach the end of the alley, she turns left, away from the truck.

"Where are you going?" Sam asks.

"Home."

"McNally, get in the truck."

"I'm fine, okay? I can walk. I don't need you to give me a ride. I don't need your help anymore. You've done enough."

He groans. "McNally, please get in the truck." She stops and he thinks she may have actually heard him, but when his eyes settle on a group of guys a little further down the street, he realizes she's a little nervous. And she should be. He recognizes a few of them from the criminal database.

"Umm, yeah, okay," she says, turning abruptly and hurrying past him on her way to his truck.

"Recognize them?" he asks once they're in his truck.

She bites her lip. "My dad may have accidentally left some files on the table... more than once."

He nods. At least it isn't because she actually knows them. Between now and the time he pulls up in front of her house, neither one of them speaks, but as she reaches to open the door, he puts a hand out to stop her from leaving. "Don't throw your life away like this."

Andy meets his eyes for a brief moment. "Thanks for the ride," she says. Without another word she shakes off his hand and gets out of the truck.

He waits until she's inside, getting a bad feeling that whatever path she's heading down is far from over.

**Thanks again for reading! Let me know what you think.**

**Up next, things spiral out of control for Andy, but what happens when she hits rock bottom? And, when Oliver is pulled into the mix, will Sam, Andy, and Oliver be able to cover everything up, or is Andy about to learn the biggest lesson of her life?**


	7. Friends

**Welcome back! As always, thanks for your reviews/follows/favourites! You guys definitely know how to get me to blush with your kind words, so thank you for all of your feedback and support!**

**Recap: Andy is playing poker with her dad, Oliver, and Sam in an effort to win Oliver's silence regarding the existence of her college-age boyfriend. While her dad is out of the room, Andy's behaviour could be considered somewhat inappropriate, including bribing Oliver for his silence and exchanging intense stares with Sam. Meanwhile, Sam develops an obvious curiosity where Andy is considered, wanting to know more about her, while simultaneously finding himself slowly being wrapped around her finger in the same way Oliver and her dad are… Andy ends up winning the poker game… Sam and Oliver respond to a noise complaint call and end up running into Andy and her boyfriend. Oliver threatens Tyler, and Sam has to convince Andy to let them drive her home. Andy ends up calling Sam in the middle of the night to pick her up, and he finds out that she's been doing drugs and running from the cops. When Andy's picked up by the cops, she calls Sam to pick her up. He finds out she's still doing drugs and decides that the best way to help Andy is to stop bailing her out.**

* * *

_One month later..._

Sam's eyes flick from his cards to the stack of poker chips in front of him before making their way around the table. Only a couple of the guys have solid poker faces. The others are decent players, but having played with them quite a bit lately, he knows the telltale signs that they're bluffing. The tapping fingers, slight fidgeting, shifty eyes, twitch of the eyebrows or lips, nervous chatter. But tonight, something's off. At least it is with Tommy.

"Haven't seen Andy in awhile," Oliver says, watching as Tommy throws some poker chips into the centre of the table.

When an awkward silence ensues, Sam looks up at the detective and searches his face. There isn't much there to read though; nothing has really changed. Tommy's been wearing the same disgruntled look all night. Still, this is the first time that he's looked uncomfortable.

"Everything okay?" Oliver asks a little hesitantly.

"She's busy," Tommy finally says, his voice a little flat as he rises to refill his drink, and effectively ends any further discussion of his daughter.

Before Tommy makes it back to the dining room table, Sam hears the front door open. Even though they're still expecting another guy to show up, and even though he can't see the door from where he's sitting, he knows it's her. Sure enough, a few seconds later she walks around the corner, her movements faltering when she sees everyone in the dining room. He looks her up and down. Aside from appearing paler and exhausted, she looks okay. Not great, but okay. He can't help but feel a little relieved.

"Going to join us for another game of poker?" Oliver asks, watching her toss her backpack on the couch.

Andy hesitates before turning to face the group. She'd completely forgotten it was poker night. Again. "I wiped you clean last time. Do you really want a repeat?"

"Beginner's luck," Oliver teases. "Besides, I've been practicing."

Her eyes flick to his rather small stack of poker chips. "Not nearly hard enough," she replies with a smirk.

Oliver scowls, but Sam and the others can't help but laugh.

The second her dad re-enters the dining room, Sam watches her expression change. She becomes more distant. Recoils a little within herself. And Tommy isn't much better. The man's eyes flick to his daughter before immediately averting to the poker table. Yeah, something's definitely off.

"Maybe another time," Andy says, her eyes following her dad as he returns to his seat. Oliver's mouth opens and she knows he's going to try again, so she turns her back on everyone and flops down on the couch, reluctantly pulling out her textbooks. If anything can get him to lay off, homework will. With an inward sigh, she grabs her math notebook and flips it open. Sure enough, all talk is soon directed back towards the game and one by one she feels the attention shift off of her until only one set of eyes remains.

Sam continues to watch her as they play poker. He's fairly certain she knows she's being watched because within seconds of each glance in her direction, her movements falter. Not once does she look in his direction though. And, for some reason, that bothers him. Two hands later though, her head starts falling forward, and by the third hand, she's out completely. "Late night?" he asks Tommy, nodding in Andy's direction. He knows it's going to hit another nerve, but he needs to know that she's okay.

The guys all follow his gaze toward the living room to where Andy's sleeping.

Tommy gives him an odd look before giving a sharp nod. "Too much on her plate."

Sam hesitates. Tommy's tone tells him to let it go, but for some reason he can't. "Too many sports?"

"Sports, school, work," Tommy replies, giving Sam another look.

In an effort to avoid Tommy's gaze, he looks down at his cards again. That's not the answer he's looking for, but he's not sure how to ask without making Tommy or the others suspicious. As it is, Tommy's already making it pretty clear that he doesn't want to talk about his daughter. The only thing the man could do to make his point more obvious is to outright tell him to shut it. And, the fact that Sam didn't let the topic go the first time has Oliver giving him a weird look too. With an inward sigh, he tries to focus on the game again, but finds his eyes keep wandering back to Andy. In the first three weeks since he'd given her his number she'd called him twice, and now, a month after her last call, he hasn't heard a word from her. He hopes it's because she's stopped using, but with the way she looks right now, he isn't so sure he can chalk it up to exhaustion from a heavy workload.

It isn't until her textbook falls off her lap and hits the floor nearly an hour later that she stirs. She blinks hard, momentarily confused until her eyes land on the clock. It's a little after eleven. Rubbing her face, she attempts to fully wake herself up and focus on her homework, but her mind keeps wandering. She needs a fix. As she puts on her jacket, her dad finally acknowledges her presence.

"Where are you going?"

"Out," Andy replies without looking up at him.

"Where?"

"To a friend's house," Andy says. "To finish my homework."

Tommy glances at the clock. "It's a little late for that."

She barely manages to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "Yeah, well, he'll be awake."

"He?" Tommy says, setting his cards down and looking at his daughter for the first time since she's gotten home. "Is there something I should know? Something you want to tell me?"

Sam can tell by the way she's biting her lower lip that she's really holding something back.

"Well?" Tommy presses.

Andy shrugs. "Joey Davids. Plays on the co-ed basketball team, which you would know if you actually showed up." She heads to the hallway and slides her feet into her boots.

Sam frowns. Did she break up with Tyler? His eyes flick to Tommy in time to see the man's face harden.

Without even excusing himself, Tommy gets up and heads for the front door, stopping right beside her. "I've been busy with work."

Andy turns to him. "No dad, you've been busy losing yourself at the bottom of a bottle… Ever since mom left, it's been the same. And _t__his_ – what's going on with us – has nothing to do with your work. You just don't care... You don't know me, and I don't even think you know yourself anymore. And, quite honestly, neither do I."

Sam glances at Oliver, who looks stunned. His eyes travel to the other faces at the table, each officer looking rather uncomfortable as snatches of the conversation reach them. He can hear Tommy say Andy's name again before she replies with a sharp, "Not here... not now." Seconds later, the front door closes. Pulling out his cell phone, Sam sends her a quick text. _Probably should have taken your textbook with you._

When the status changes from "delivered" to "read" but he doesn't receive a response, his thoughts are confirmed. She probably never intended to go somewhere to finish her homework. He hesitates, then sends another text. _Be careful._

Andy stares at the second text for a moment before shoving her phone back in her coat pocket, wondering why he's even bothering to text her. He didn't want to be involved, so she's done her part in keeping him out of things. She's not going to start letting him back in now.

* * *

_Two months later…_

Tommy's head snaps up at the sound of the front door. His eyes dart towards the front of the house and he mumbles a quick apology as he gets up from the table. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, he moves to follow, but seconds later Andy's barreling back down them, a bag slung over her shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Out," Andy replies, without looking at him. She tries to sidestep him, but he grabs her arm.

"It's Wednesday night and it's almost midnight."

"Yeah, so?"

"You're not going out," Tommy says firmly.

"Do you really want to do this in front of your friends?" Andy asks, shaking him off and stepping back outside and onto the porch.

"You going to see that Joey kid?"

"No," Andy replies, as she walks down the stairs.

Tommy pulls the door shut behind him and follows her. "What's gotten into you lately?"

She stops when her feet hit the path leading to the driveway. With a shrug, she says, "I've changed. So have you. That's how things go sometimes."

"Yeah, well, it's time you grow up and start acting like an adult."

Andy laughs dryly. "Okay, so one second you treat me like I'm a kid, and now you want me to grow up? What about you? Ever since mom left, I've had to take care of you. And you know what, I'm done. I have enough problems of my own without having to deal with yours too." She pauses. "I just can't do it anymore."

"What problems?"

She shakes her head. "Don't worry about it." Again, she pauses. "I'm umm, I'm moving out tomorrow."

Tommy stares at her for a long moment, shocked. She has to be lying. "You have school tomorrow," he says, trying to find a flaw in her words. She can't move out.

"No, I don't," Andy replies. "I was suspended. Haven't gone to school at all this week. But, of course you wouldn't know that. You've been too busy... working, right?"

"You were suspended?" Tommy asks, his temper rising.

Andy ignores him and starts walking down the pathway.

"Don't walk away from me," Tommy says, grabbing her arm. "Why were you suspended? Was that Joey kid involved?"

She laughed in disbelief. "You wanna talk now? After all these years, you want to talk _now_?" She pauses for a brief moment, shaking her head. "You know what? Fine. How about this... I slept with Joey a year ago. I told you I was going to see a movie, but instead, I went to his house while his parents were away and we had sex. And anytime I told you I was staying over at Gail's house, I pretty much went to a party and got plastered. But, I learned from the best, right?" Each word seemed to hit a nerve with Tommy. His expression shifted from one of disbelief to pained. But, she couldn't stop. "Oh, and when I say I'm going for coffee, it usually means I'm seeing my college boyfriend, who, I've been seeing for most of this year..." She finally meets his eyes. "I could go on, but I think you're actually getting the point..."

"Andy," Tommy says weakly, hints of uncertainty, fear, and anger in his features.

"No," she says, shaking her head. "I'm done. I can't live like this anymore. So, I have to do this; I have to go."

"This isn't you," Tommy argued.

"_This_ is me," Andy said, tears welling up in her eyes. "But you don't know me anymore because the day mom walked out on us, you fell apart. You stopped caring, and now I have too. So, tomorrow, I'm gone, because I can't deal with both our problems anymore."

Before her dad can say anything, she turns and leaves, briskly walking across the small front lawn and taking a sharp turn around the bushes. "Umph." She's so focused on the sound of the front door closing that she slams into something hard.

"You okay?"

Her eyes flick up to Sam's face before looking down at the hands that are now planted on her arms to steady her. "Fine." She brushes him off and tries to sidestep him.

"You haven't text me back, or called me," Sam says, blocking her way. Ever since he realized she was still using, he'd been trying to talk to her, but she ignored him every time.

Andy looks back up at him and shrugs. "You didn't want to be involved, so you're not. Simple as that. So, stop calling and texting and you won't have to worry about a reply." She tries to get around him again, but he still won't let her pass. "Are we going to do this all night? Because I can think of a better way to spend our time."

Sam's eyes widen. His heart rate picks up. Surely she doesn't mean what he thinks she means, does she? He's tried to keep things neutral.

"Relax. It was a joke," she says, rolling her eyes.

He shakes his head. "You think this whole thing is funny, don't you?" His eyes narrow. "Do you just not care anymore?"

Andy shrugs.

He reaches out and can feel her trembling. It's the only crack in the front she's putting on. When he feels her try to pull away, he tightens his grip a little, just enough to keep her still but not enough to hurt her. "Look, the only reason I told you I wouldn't help was because I was hoping that you'd stop if you thought that nobody would be there to bail you out. But, you haven't."

"I'm over it; it's fine."

"Who's helping you now?" Sam presses.

"No one."

"No more late-night runs from the cops? No more sitting in cells?" Sam asks in disbelief.

Andy shakes her head.

"But you're still using?"

She lets out a frustrated sigh. "Look, I probably shouldn't have called you in the first place, but I did. I can't take that back. But I can control what happens now, and you told me you couldn't be involved, so I stopped calling. And I get it, you know? It's fine. I figured out another way. Dealt with it."

"How?"

"Just stop, okay?" she says, exasperated. "I'm not going to tell you because that would mean involving you again, so just let it go." She finally manages to get around him.

Sam grinds his teeth together and goes after her. Maybe she has another way, maybe she doesn't, but that isn't enough for him. She's still using and she's showing no signs of stopping. "What if I want to help?"

She laughs in disbelief. "Yeah, uh… I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't need another father-figure in my life. And you're like barely older than me. It's weird, okay? And I don't need that."

Sam's eyes widen. "I don't want to be your father-figure." He pauses. What does he want to be? "I want to be your… friend."

"My friend?" Andy asks, quirking an eyebrow. She finally looks up at him, but doesn't slow her pace. "Do you even know how to be a woman's friend?"

He bites the inside of his cheek. Truthfully, no, he doesn't really. He only has one female friend on the force and none outside of it. He shrugs. "I'll figure it out."

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, whatever you say pal."

"So—"

Andy finally stops and turns to face him, gently putting her hands on his shoulders. "Look, you're a nice guy, but you're not obligated to help. Just because you know, doesn't mean you need to do anything. So, I'm going to make this easy for you." He tries to interrupt, but she puts a finger to his lips. "We aren't friends. I'm not going to respond to your texts or calls. But you _are_ going to go inside, play poker, probably win, and forget we had this conversation or any other. This isn't your problem, it's mine, so just go live your life. Forget about me." Before he can respond, she steps forward, kisses him on the cheek, and is gone seconds later.

Sam frowns at the lingering warmth on his cheek and lips as he watches her vanish from sight. He wants to stop her, convince her to get professional help, and somehow get her to open up to him again – and he meant to, he really did – but she'd completely thrown him off with both her words and lips. And now she's gone.

* * *

_Two and a half months later..._

"Oliver," he says, picking up his cell phone on the third ring.

Silence.

"Hello?" he says with a frown, pulling the phone away from his ear to check the display before putting it back.

"Andy, is that you?"

Sam's head snaps in Oliver's direction. His heart starts pounding heavily in his chest. As far as he knows, Andy rarely calls Oliver, so why would she be calling now? It's late, just after midnight, which leads him to one conclusion: she's in trouble.

"I need help," Andy says with a groan.

"Andy, what's wrong?" Oliver asks, casting a worried glance at Sam.

"Can you... can you come get me?" She blinks hard, trying to stop her vision from swimming, but it only gets worse. "I need..." She sucks in a large breath. "I need help."

"Where are you? Are you okay? … Andy?"

Again, Sam's eyes flick to Oliver before returning to the road, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.

"I don't know... I don't remember where I am…"

"Look around, what do you see?" Oliver presses.

She struggles to focus as her eyes travel around the room. "I'm in a bathroom... I blacked out and I…"

Oliver curses. She's panicking. "Is there a window? Can you see out?"

"I..."

"Come on Andy, I need you to take a deep breath and help me out here," Oliver says. "If there's a window, I need you to look out and tell me if you see anything that we might be able to identify."

"I... I can't get up."

"Why not?"

"I..." she begins, but bursts into tears.

"It's okay," he says softly, despite the fear racing through him. "Just take a few deep breaths. I'm going to set the phone down for a second and have the station try to track your cell phone, but don't hang up, okay?"

Oliver sets it down and holds out his hand, silently asking Sam for his cell phone. He then calls in a favour and has them track Andy's location. The second they receive the location, he relays it to Sam and they do a u-turn.

"You still there Andy?"

He hears her mumble something.

"Andy?"

"Yeah?" she finally says, her voice a little low and a little rough sounding.

"Are you okay?"

"No," she groans, before letting out a ridiculous laugh. Nevertheless, Oliver can hear the sob in the back of her throat.

"Are you high?" Oliver asks, eyes widening.

Sam turns to look at Oliver again, his mouth slightly open. Does he know about Andy's drug abuse?

"I don't know," Andy says.

"What do you mean you don't know? How can you not know?"

"I think…" she begins. "In my drink."

Oliver frowns at her impaired speech. It's getting worse. "Someone drugged you?"

She groans again, and throws a hand over her eyes to block out the light. "Are you... here yet?"

"No, we're about five minutes out."

"I… I don't know… my clothes," she says.

Oliver's mouth falls open. "Your clothes... Andy, is Tyler there? Did you…?"

"I don't know," she replies. "Blacked out."

Oliver rubs his face with his free hand, instantly drawing Sam's attention. He merely shakes his head. He isn't about to tell Sam when Andy is on the phone with him, although he's pretty sure his friend already has a good idea of what's going on. "You said you're in a bathroom?" Oliver asks.

Silence.

"Andy?"

Silence.

Oliver tries again, but still no response.

When they finally pull up in front of a large house with blaring music and a ton of drunk kids walking around, Oliver and Sam jump out.

"Party's over," Oliver yells. "Call your parents or call a cab. If you even so much as think about driving, you'll get a nice tour of a jail cell and whole lot more that I guarantee you don't want." He snatches a drink away from a kid that looks like he's sixteen. "As it is, you're lucky I'm not arresting most of you for underage drinking. So get out and get home before I change my mind." Spotting a head of hair that is bleach blond, Oliver yells, "Peck!"

The woman reluctantly turns to face them.

"Where's Andy?"

Gail shrugs. "Last I saw her, Tyler was dragging her upstairs."

"Come with me," says Oliver, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the stairs.

Sam hesitates, then disperses the rest of the kids before finally heading upstairs. He heads toward Oliver's voice, but hesitates before stepping into the room. He has no idea what he's about to see, but he isn't so sure he's ready to find out. _This is my job_, he thinks. _And it's Andy. Suck it up and get in there. _With a deep breath, he forces his feet to carry him forward.

Seeing a shirt and skirt on the bedroom floor, Oliver hands them to Gail and says, "She said she's in a bathroom, probably that one. I need you to get her dressed or at least covered."

Gail nods, but when she tries the door, it won't budge. "Locked," she mutters.

Oliver hesitates. He isn't sure where Andy is, if she's right up against the door or if she's far enough away. So, he knocks and calls her name. No response. He gets down on his hands and knees to try to look through the small crack between the door and floor. He really can't see anything, but the light suggests she isn't right up against the door. He runs a hand over his face. He doesn't know how serious things are, but he can't risk the few extra seconds trying to pick the lock. "Step back," he says before kicking the door open and ushering Gail through the doorway.

When Gail finally reappears, she looks up at them. "She's out."

Oliver gently pushes her aside and kneels down beside Andy, checking her pulse. A sigh escapes him when he finds one. "Pretty sure you're going to be the reason I have grey hairs little McNally," he says with a small laugh, but his expression turns grave again when Andy doesn't respond to either his voice or his movements. He gently taps her face, but still receives no response. "Come on Andy, wake up," Oliver says, tapping her face a little harder. "Open your eyes."

Sam hesitantly steps forward. The second his eyes fall on Andy's unconscious body, he takes a step back as the guilt creeps in. If he'd told Oliver or even Tommy, maybe this wouldn't have happened. If he'd done something differently, maybe she wouldn't have gotten to this point. Hell, she could have died. Still can.

"Sam," Oliver yells.

He snaps out of it and looks at his friend.

"We have to get her to the hospital."

All he can do is nod, his movements stiff as he heads back downstairs and opens the door of the squad car so that Oliver can put Andy in the back.

"Get in Peck," Oliver says sharply, gesturing to the backseat. As they climb in the front, Oliver shoots Sam a questioning look. "What if she took something?"

Sam's grip tightens on the steering wheel as he pulls out of the driveway and heads toward the hospital. "I don't know."

"If we admit her, and she's on something... and _willingly_ took something, her future could be..." Oliver falls silent, his head in his hands.

"We don't know anything for sure buddy," Sam replies, though based on Andy's track record, she probably is on something illegal. He exhales deeply and pulls out his cell phone and places a quick call.

"Where are we going?" Oliver asks.

Sam shoots him a look before pulling up to the side of the hospital. "Stay in the car and don't say anything," Sam tells Gail as he gets out. His eyes scan the area until they land on a blond woman, Monica, who's walking towards them with a bag in her hand. He exhales deeply. He hasn't seen her in years, but they'd been... friends once. He can only hope that her standing outside by the side door is proof that she's going to help them.

"What's going on?" Monica asks when she reaches the car.

He watches as she stoops a little to try to see in the car. With a nod from Oliver, Sam opens the backdoor and says, "She was drugged, thinks her drink was spiked. Keeps blacking out. We need you to check her out, see if we can get away without admitting her."

Monica stares at them in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"

Sam shakes his head. "I know it sounds bad, but if it can be helped, nobody can know who she is, or that we were here. And the less you know, the better."

"But we run tests for this kind of thing."

"Yeah, I know," Sam says, rubbing his face. "To see what she took, if she was raped, all that. Got it, but as an officer, I'm asking you if she's okay without."

Monica stares at him for another moment before opening her bag and climbing in the back. She checks Andy's pulse, comparing it to what Sam and Oliver had noted when they first found Andy, then goes about checking her pupils. Seconds later she pokes her head out of the car. "If this comes back to bite me, you'd better have my back."

"Done," Sam replies. He's really banking on Monica keeping her mouth shut. There isn't much choice though. If Andy's admitted, then they can't keep her name clear. She'll be charged.

With a nod, Monica turns her attention back to Andy, running a few more basic tests before she climbs out of the car altogether.

"So?"

"She appears to be stable, so it looks like it's already starting to work its way through her system. But, she needs to be monitored, so if you take her, you'll need to watch her overnight. Check her pulse. Just watch her, and if she shows any signs of getting worse, you need to bring her back here. My best guess though is that it's ketamine, so depending on how quickly you go to her, it could be through her system within the next hour or hour and a half. It's hard to say if she took anything else though."

"Thanks," Sam says, withholding a sigh of relief.

"You owe me," she replies with a smile.

As she walks back toward the hospital, Sam climbs back in the car.

"Are we really doing this?" Oliver asks, his forehead creased with worry.

"We can't charge the guy without bringing her into the mess. And we don't know the full story..."

"If you use her to nail the guy, she's gonna get busted," Gail says from the backseat.

Oliver turns around to look at her. "Why?"

Gail can't help but laugh. "You're just as clueless as her dad. If you want answers, ask her when she wakes up, but I'm telling you, if you want to keep her out of things, you're better off warning the guy than charging him."

"Do you know who did it?"

"No," Gail replies. "I don't even know half the people she hangs out with anymore."

Sam rubs his face as he turns to Oliver. "Your choice. But if we go after the guy, you're telling Tommy." He was really banking on Oliver's protectiveness over Andy to kick in.

"This is really messed up brother."

"You're telling me," Sam mutters. His friend doesn't even know half of it.

"Are you sure you're ready to break this many rules?" Oliver asks hesitantly. "We could get caught, lose our jobs... maybe even be charged."

"If Peck can keep her mouth shut, we won't be caught," Sam says. When she glares at him, he can't help but smirk. "We're good," he says to Oliver as he starts up the car and drives to Gail's house.

* * *

A few blocks from her house, Sam pulls up to a curb. The second the girl is out of the car, he asks, "What now?"

Oliver hesitates. "One of us has to watch her."

Sam glances at his friend before looking in the backseat. "And by one of us, you mean me?"

"Well, uh," Oliver says, nervously scratching the back of his head. "Well, it's just... Izzy has a fever and Zoe knows Andy... and you know how Zoe likes to talk. A real gossiper, you know?"

"Ollie, it's fine," Sam says with a sigh. "I have a spare room, and I'll keep checking on her."

"You sure it's okay if she stays the night?" Oliver asks.

"Are you really asking me that?" Sam says, quirking an eyebrow. "Even if I said no, I don't really have a choice. Besides, after what we just did, I think her staying overnight is the least of our worries. But really, it's fine. Our shift is over anyway, so we'll go to my place now, and you'll take the car and my gun back to the station. And when she wakes up I'll question her."

They follow the plan and within twenty minutes, Sam is carrying Andy inside his place.

* * *

When Andy wakes up, her head is pounding. Groaning as a wave of dizziness washes over her, she opens her eyes and squints despite the only light coming from out in the hall. Rubbing her eyes, she takes a deep breath and starts to look around the room, freezing when she sees Sam sitting on the edge of the bed, his back leaning up against the wall. Where did he come from? And where the hell is she?

"How are you feeling?" he asks, his eyes opening when he feels her shift.

"Where are we?"

"My guest room."

"How did I get here?" she asks, frowning. "How...?" She shakes her head, her eyes flicking around the room in an attempt to make some sense of the situation.

"You called Oliver."

"I called Oliver?" Andy asks, certain she misheard. He nods. She curses. Why would she call Oliver? Her heart rate picks up. If she called Oliver, then... "What does he know?"

He notes the panic in her voice. "That you were drugged. Not much else... yet."

She lets out a shaky breath. "I was drugged," she says slowly, frowning. It's another moment before it slowly comes back to her, but even then, everything seems fragmented.

"So what happened?"

"Can we talk about this later? My head feels like it's going to split open."

He shakes his head. "You could have died tonight... been raped. A lot of things could have happened, and I guarantee that none of them would have been good. So no, we're going to talk about this now."

Andy rubs her temples. "I don't remember everything," she admits.

"Tell me what you do remember."

She nods, but that causes a wave of nausea to run through her. He hands her a bucket, but she pushes it to the side and takes a deep breath. "One of Tyler's friends knows this guy... some rich kid who was throwing a party. So of course we went. They're usually better than the lame ones thrown at the college. And it was good, for awhile. But uh..." She closes her eyes for a moment as she tries to clear her thoughts. "I hardly drank anything." She pauses. "I just... I really needed a fix." She bites down on her lower lip when she sees Sam grimace. "That was my main focus, so I didn't really care about the rest. Been there, done that, and it doesn't go over well... which you already know."

"Then what?" he presses.

Silence.

He can tell she's getting agitated, so he puts a pillow on his lap and gently pulls her so her head is resting on the pillow. He then starts to gently massage her head. "Keep going," he says, watching as her eyes close and a bit of the tension falls from her body.

Andy hesitates. "I was only going to have a couple of drinks a little later in the night. And everything was fine until then." Her mind shoots back to earlier that night. The dancing, grinding. Body pulsing to the blaring music. Heart pumping. It was like a club. Bodies were packed into the house and it was hard to move around at times. There was constant bumping. Yelling. Laughing. But she fit in. Somehow, despite having just graduated from high school, she'd become one of them. She was accepted. Sought after. And, for the first time in a really long time, she felt wanted. Happy. Free.

"So you did take the pill again?"

She was slammed back to reality. "Yeah." Her voice cracked.

"Do you know more about it?"

"Not really." She swallows hard. "I still don't know what it's called, but I know it first started showing up around November... Hasn't quite made it big yet, but it's becoming more common at these parties."

"Okay, so what was so different about tonight?"

She shakes her head, struggling to remember. "I don't really know... I mean, it was fine," she says. "Until..."

"Until...?" he presses.

"Until umm... I think until I got a second drink."

"And then you started feeling off?"

"Not exactly," Andy says, a faint blush creeping into her cheeks. She shifts uncomfortably. "I... I didn't even finish it because..." She falls silent, unsure of how to proceed in the least awkward way.

"Because you went upstairs with your uh... the scumbag?" Sam says, finally settling on the name Oliver had come up with.

"Yeah."

"Was that when you noticed?"

"No. It wasn't right away. It sort of gradually hit me. I just started feeling off. Everything became blurry. I felt weak. And umm, I just..." She pauses and despite her attempts to keep the tears at bay, one rolls down her cheek. "I told him to stop because something wasn't right. He thought I was joking though..." She hastily wipes the tear away, but can't bring herself to continue.

Sam takes a deep breath before breaking the silence. "Andy, did he rape you?"

"I don't... I don't think so." Again, her voice cracks and another tear rolls down her cheek.

He withholds a sigh of relief. "So why were you locked in the bathroom?"

She bites her lip. "He didn't get it." She struggles to remember more. "I managed to push him off, but he got mad."

"Did he hurt you?"

"I don't think so," she says, frowning. "But I was already starting to blackout, so I went in the bathroom. Locked myself in. And I must have passed out because when I woke up again, I didn't hear anything, so I think he left."

"Is that when you called Oliver?"

"I... I don't know. I don't even remembering grabbing my phone on the way to the bathroom, but I had it with me so I must have. And I don't remember calling him or talking to him." She let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know."

"Is he on your speed dial?"

"Yeah."

"Probably hit a button and got him," Sam says. After a moment, another thought strikes him. "Did you get the drink or did someone else?"

Andy frowns. Did she get the drink? Her mind shoots back. Light brown hair, blue eyes. "No."

"You didn't get it? Did your boyfriend?"

"Uh...No. There was a guy... he got a bunch of us drinks. He umm, he was tall, light brown hair, blue eyes, total jock. He umm..." She pauses, struggling to remember something else about him. "He had this... sports jacket on. Like a football jacket."

"Do you know his name?"

"Uh... there were a lot of people there," Andy says.

"Just take your time."

She takes a long, shaky breath. "I think it started with a J."

"Okay, good," Sam says, still massaging her head. "So you said you didn't finish your drink... Did you take it upstairs with you?"

"Yeah. I think I left it on the dresser beside the door."

"And the guy specifically handed it to you?"

She nods, but then hesitates. "I... I don't know. I know he had them, and I think he gave it to me, but I don't know anymore."

He hesitates. "What kind of drink?"

"It was just beer, in a red cup."

Sam hesitates again. If the cup is still there, they can get fingerprints off of it and see exactly what the guy gave her. He shakes his head. If he has it checked for prints, it's going to raise questions and it will still lead back to Andy. He pushes the thought aside. They might not be able to nail the guy, but if they can somehow get Andy to identify him, then they can still scare him. "Do you remember anything else?"

"That's it." Andy slowly pushes herself into a sitting position, the severity of the night hitting her hard.

He can see her shoulders shake. "What is it?" he asks softly.

She turns to look at him, tears streaming down her face. "I should have listened." She closes her eyes and tries to compose herself, but it's useless. "I'm sorry... I'm... I'm so sorry."

All he can do is stare at her. He wasn't expecting an apology, but he really isn't sure he can take it to heart anyway given that her encounters with the cops couldn't even put an end to her drug abuse.

"I don't know how to stop." It comes out as a sob. Her whole body is shaking.

Something in him snaps and he pulls her into his arms. "What do you want McNally?" he asks after a long moment of holding her. This isn't his thing. His thing is sleeping with women. Oliver's thing is comforting them. But, right now, it's just him and she needs someone.

"I need help."

There it was, the confirmation he'd wanted to hear since he first picked her up. "Okay," he says softly, rubbing a soothing hand up and down her back. Her arms wrap around him as her tears soak his shirt. Maybe this comforting thing isn't as hard as he originally thought. He reaches out and grabs a blanket, pulling it up and over her body before shifting and leaning back up against the wall, pulling her with him. "It's going to be okay," he says. "We're going to help you." Her grip tightens. "Just try to sleep and we'll talk more in the morning, okay?" he says, still rubbing her back. He can feel her nod against his chest, but it's a long while still before her breathing changes. When it does, he sighs and gently pushes the hair out of her face. For the next two hours, he watches her and tries to come up with a solution. Rehab is expensive though and if they decide to keep Tommy out of things and he finds out, they're all going to be in a lot of trouble. It's only when he's finally drifting off to sleep that an idea strikes him and a plan begins to fall together. He needs to talk to Boyko.

**Thanks again for reading! Let me know what you think. And sorry if there were a ton of mistakes in this chapter - I'm pressed for time right now but wanted to get this up, so I'll have to check it over and fix it up later.  
**

**Up next, we'll find out exactly what Sam has planned, and if he can help get Andy's life back on track.****  
**

**Twitter - RB_ADI2DE**


	8. Temptation

**Welcome back! Thank you guys so much for your reviews, follows, and favourites. As always, I love hearing what you think, so I hope you'll continue to let me know.**

**Annnnnd my apologies. I think it goes without saying that this story has been neglected, but for those of you wondering if I have more to write, the answer is a BIG "yes". I actually have the ending of this story written, and quite a few major chapters as well, but I have some filler chapters that still need to be written, and I'm always trying to come up with ways to expand upon things. So, no need to worry about that – I know it's been awhile since my last update, but whatever I start, I do finish. Life has just been crazy lately, so again, my apologies. But, without further ado, let's get to it.**

**Oh, and my apologies for the rather unpleasant "topic" at the beginning... and, well, because this chapter is kind of poorly written. Or maybe it's just because I'm so eager to fast forward to the good stuff that I'm not satisfied with most of what comes before. But, we'll get there! This stuff is important too though **– I wouldn't just throw it into the story if it wasn't.****

**...This is going to sound ridiculous to everyone except for a couple of people, but this chapter is dedicated to boredom, safety, and babies (or rather, a baby...). And since dedicating this particular chapter (in part) to a baby seems horrifying, let's just say it's a lesson on why not to do drugs. **

**Recap: Andy is playing poker with her dad, Oliver, and Sam in an effort to win Oliver's silence regarding the existence of her college-age boyfriend. While her dad is out of the room, Andy's behaviour could be considered somewhat inappropriate, including bribing Oliver for his silence and exchanging intense stares with Sam. Meanwhile, Sam develops an obvious curiosity where Andy is considered, wanting to know more about her, while simultaneously finding himself being slowly wrapped around her finger in the same way Oliver and her dad are… After receiving a call in the middle of the night from Andy, Sam soon finds himself embroiled in a far more complex situation than a simple late-night drive home, especially when he learns that she's been doing drugs and running from the cops. To make matters worse, she later calls him from a nearby division after having been arrested. Realizing his good intentions are likely enabling Andy's bad habits, Sam decides that from that point on, he needs to stop bailing her out. And, when a month goes by without a word from Andy, he starts to think that his refusal to help has made her stop using drugs, but another night of poker at the McNally house quickly scraps that thought. Two months later, things continue to go downhill. Andy moves out of her dad's house, and when Sam tries to intervene, she shuts him down. Two and a half months go by in which Sam doesn't see or hear from Andy at all. That is, until Oliver receives a call from her while they're on duty. She's at a house party and she's been drugged. In an attempt to keep Andy's name out of the records, they have Monica check her out in the hospital parking lot. Sam is then left to take on the task of watching over Andy that night. When she regains consciousness and admits to needing help, he starts to come up with a plan to help her get her life back on track. **

* * *

_5:47 a.m._

Andy jolts upward and throws her head over the side of the bed, her hand flailing for the bucket. Fingers gripping the plastic, she yanks it forward, pulling it under her nose just a split second before the contents of her stomach come up. The taste of bile, a mix of beer, last night's pizza. She shudders, her face wrinkling in disgust as the putrid smell fills her nostrils and the taste overwhelms her otherwise dry mouth. For a second it has her gagging again, leaving her struggling to drown out everything around her – every sense: sight, smell, sound, taste... everything – in an attempt to settle her stomach. _Focus. Just breathe. _She starts to inhale, but the smell of vomit has her head spinning and her stomach churning. A curse tumbles from her lips._ Bad idea. Don't breathe; just hold it. Focus on something else... anything. _

She lowers her head, pressing her nose up against the sheets in an attempt to block out the stench. The faint smell of laundry detergent reaches her nostrils. That it smells like Sam is oddly comforting. It reminds her of the time he held her in the alley, and how safe his strong arms have always made her feel. The same arms that have her occasionally wondering what's hiding beneath his clothes and if his body is on par with his face. With that thought in mind, she starts to turn in a bid to catch a glimpse of him sitting on the bed in the moonlight, but then it hits her. _Whoa,_ _Andy_, her mind screams at her._ Hold up. Chill. What the hell are you thinking? Did the drugs screw you up that much? So much so that you can throw up one second and then think about Sam naked the next? Idiot. You don't even like him like that. And you've got a boyfriend_, she silently chides herself. _An arrogant, dumbas—Uh oh. Not again. _She grips the bucket a little tighter, while simultaneously trying to catch another waft of laundry detergent, but she knows it's no match for what lies in the bucket below. No matter how freshly washed the sheets smell, the scent just isn't strong enough. So, she tries to block everything out again, but her mind latches onto Sam once more and the thoughts just won't seem to stop as an image of his face whirls before her eyes. _Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me? Not that I mind, but it doesn't make sense... What's in it for you? Do you think it's your job, because you're a cop? _She feels, rather than hears, him shift a little beside her and despite the small movement providing mild discomfort to her already upset stomach, knowing that he's nearby is somehow reassuring, much in the way that the smell of him is comforting. _Odd._ A frown creases her forehead. _I thought I understood you, what makes you tick. But, I was wrong. At least... about some things. So how did we end up here, you with me? In this mess. And who are you, Sam Swarek? What really motivates you? Drives you? Why are you here? Why are you helping me again? And how the hell can you be so frustrating one second, but comforting the next? Telling me what to do, how to live my life, be better... Treating me like a kid... And then picking me up and dusting me off, trying to help me succeed and figure out how to be an adult. Why do you do this to yourself? Entangle yourself in my mess, my hell. Who am I to you? _

Andy risks a glance back in his direction and can only just make out his eyes staring back at her, the look just as intense as always. Suppressing a shiver, she lowers her gaze. _Seriously? I'm puking my guts out here and that's what I get? You're not going to blame me or yell, you're just going to sit here with me?_ "You can go," she chokes out, even though the last thing she wants right now is to be alone. For _him_ to go, to leave her. Because, although she can't quite understand why, there's something immensely reassuring about his presence, like whenever he's around, things are going to magically be okay. She bites down on her lower lip. _Get a grip. Sam is only human. H-U-M-A-N... A man. One I hardly even know. That's all. Just a man, a normal guy. Ordinary. He doesn't have super powers. He can't make my problems go away. _She bites down a little harder. _Actually, he's kind of a stranger, albeit a helpful one... that knows my dad... and Oliver. Okay, __so maybe not a complete stranger, but what do I know about_ him? She wracks her brains, but her head is throbbing and she quickly gives up._ Not much. __And yet, I think... I think I kind of missed him... Two and a half months with zero contact – at least on her end – but it feels longer. Much longer. _She mentally shakes herself, her eyebrows furrowing. _Missed him, or it? She missed it. Yeah. That reassuring feeling, not... him. _Her frown deepens. _Or is it him? Ah, hell, I don't know. _Being in no condition to answer, or really even consider the question further, she settles for missing that comforting, reassuring feeling. And that's when she realizes that the urge to throw up has lessened.

Wiping her mouth, she slowly rolls onto her back and stares up at the ceiling through the darkness and strands of hair that partially cover her eyes. A groan escapes her as she weakly tries to brush the hair away from her face, but most of it seems to be plastered to her skin, soaked from the beads of sweat on her forehead. _Better sweat than what's down there_, she thinks, shuddering as the smell hits her again. She shifts a little, her face wrinkling in disgust once more. Her entire body feels clammy, and the sheets beneath her are damp. Everything about her feels gross.

Sensing Sam's gaze is still on her, she weakly tosses an arm up over her eyes. She knows he probably can't see her very well, but she's positive he's looking in her direction. It's a gut feeling. "Shoot me," she croaks. And she's only partially kidding. She feels like she's dying. At least, this is what she envisions death will feel like... minus the comfort.

* * *

_6:24 a.m._

She tosses and turns, sleep evading her. But, every shuffle, every movement causes a wave of nausea to hit her. So, she finally lies still, despite her aching muscles and immense discomfort. It doesn't help though. Nothing does. Not even the cool cloth that Sam put on her forehead about twenty minutes ago. The nausea is still there, and the more she thinks about it, the worse it gets. Her lips part and a curse escapes her as she rolls to her right, dangling her head over the bed again as she feels the bile rise, her body trembling all the while. "I swear..." she gasps. "I swear I'm going to..." She throws her head toward the bucket, leaving Sam grimacing at the sound of her retching. "...kill him," she finishes when her head pops back up so that it's even with the top of the mattress. She waits another moment before lying down again, this time on her side. As a shiver runs through her, she automatically tugs the blankets closer to her body, but she seems to be stuck with an endless chill. "So you should just... shoot me now as a pre-emptive measure."

Stifling a yawn, Sam reaches out and runs his hand up and down her back in what he hopes is a soothing manner. Based on the little bit of her shirt that isn't covered by a blanket, he can tell that her clothing is damp, but he ignores it and continues to rub her back. There's no point in even offering her something else to wear right now. He's pretty sure she won't budge anytime soon anyway. "You're going to be fine, McNally." Once again, he finds himself feeling a little surprised by the gentleness that she seems to bring out in him, but he shakes the thought aside and continues to try to ease her discomfort.

* * *

_7:13 a.m._

"Shoot… me… _please_."

Her voice is pleading, and he can hear her struggling to hold back a sob. It causes his hand to momentarily still on her back. "Shooting you doesn't qualify as helping."

Andy shifts a little and looks over her shoulder at him, her hands still dangling over the side of the bed in case she needs to grab the bucket in a hurry. "Sure it does," she says, her voice cracking. "Sometimes you need to shoot someone to save someone. And I swear I'm going to kill that kid."

He quirks an eyebrow and stifles a yawn. It's been a long night, and the lack of sleep is starting to wear on him... on both of them. And while he's positive she's joking, he wouldn't rule out her throwing a solid punch or two at the guy. Hell, he wants to and it didn't even happen to him. But, as a cop, he isn't about to admit that. Instead, he corrects her. "_Sometimes_ you have to shoot a perp to save a civilian… or a fellow cop. But shooting you, won't save you."

Andy groans. "But you could make an exception."

"Not going to happen, McNally."

"I thought you didn't like following the rules?" There was a slight whine in her tone, a desperation.

"I don't," Sam admits with a small shrug. "At least not all the time."

"Then why…?" she begins, before throwing her head back over the side of the bed.

He runs a hand over his face, then reaches forward and pulls back some of the strands of hair that escaped her ponytail.

She tries a second time. "Why…?" A curse runs through her mind as she throws her head over the bucket again, but it's all dry heaving this time. "Ugh." She rolls onto her back and stares up at the ceiling, squinting as she tries to keep everything in focus. And that's when another thought occurs to her. "Was Oliver mad?" Her voice is quiet.

"Worried."

"And my dad, does he know?" Andy asks quietly.

"Not yet."

She slowly turns on her left side to look at him, her heart racing. "Are you going to tell him?"

Seeing a shiver run through her, Sam gets up off the bed and grabs another blanket, slowly covering her and making sure she's completely tucked in before sitting down again, resuming his upright position with his back against the wall.

"Thanks," she mumbles as she tugs it way up high so that part of her face is covered.

"I don't know what's going to happen," Sam confesses.

Silence._ My dad is going to kill me if he finds out. He'll make me move back home, lock me up, or just outright kill me. And probably Tyler too. Maybe I should warn him. Or maybe he deserves what's coming to him. _Her hand reaches out in an attempt to locate her cell phone.

Sam watches her for a moment, hesitating, then asks the question that's been plaguing his mind for awhile now. "Why didn't you ask me for help?"

"I told you I don't even remember calling Oliver," she replies, snuggling into the blanket a little more. _What did he expect? Me to automatically call him? I don't remember calling anyone, so who knows how I ended up dialling Oliver's number. It could have just as easily been my dad. _Dread fills her. _What if I accidentally called him too? No, if I called my dad, he'd be here now. He'd know._

Sam gives her a pointed stare, surprised by how much it bothers him that Andy didn't ask him for help, but it _really_ does. He'd offered his assistance, and she'd refused over and over again, even if just by her silence. "I don't _just_ mean last night."

A sigh escapes her. She can hear the determination in his voice, the _need_ to know. So she complies. "Because you were right, okay?"

His eyes widen. _Right about what?_

"It's not your problem—"

His jaw goes a little slack. _Really? It's not my problem? That's the best she's got? _"That isn't what I said."

"—And we don't even really know each other."

That, he can't really argue against, but that doesn't mean he's just going to let it go. "I _wanted_ to help; I offered to help."

Andy gives a subtle shake of her head. "You wanted to be left out of things – you said it was the last time – so I did what you asked. I—"

"And then I texted you… I called." He lets out a frustrated sigh. "Look, I made a decision. I thought it was the right one, but—"

"And I respected that. I got it, okay?"

"No, it's not okay." He rubs his forehead angrily. "I _wanted_ to help, McNally. But I thought maybe you'd learn, figure it out if I stepped back. But _this –_ right now, right here – is proof that I made the wrong call."

A curse escapes her. "I can't do this right now." In her current state, it's proving too much.

"Then give me a better reason. Tell me why you didn't ask me for help sooner."

"Because you felt guilty," Andy blurts out. Before he can argue, she barrels on. "It's true... You knew, and not doing anything made you feel guilty." When he opens his mouth again, she holds up one hand to silence him. "But the thing is, if I hadn't come to you for help the first time, you never would have felt that way... _I_ did that to you; I forced that responsibility on you. And you didn't owe me anything, not one thing." She pauses, blinking back the tears that are starting to form in her eyes. "And I know I shouldn't have done it, I know it wasn't fair, but I just didn't know what to do. But then... then I stopped... I stopped asking for help... I—"

He shakes his head, his eyebrows furrowed. "That's not—"

"This isn't your problem," she interrupts. "It's mine. And _I _need to deal with it."

"It _is_ my problem," Sam argues. "And Oliver's too. Last night solidified that." Seeing her questioning look, he continues, "We had to break a lot of rules to keep your name clear, to keep you out of any records."

Her eyes travel up to his face and although he can't see it because of the blanket, her mouth opens in shock before snapping shut. Her mind is reeling. _He.._. _He did that for me?_ "I…" She falls silent, guilt washing over her. "I didn't know." Her voice is barely audible now; her eyes lowered.

_Of course you didn't, McNally. You were out of it; there's no way you could have known. _Drawing in a deep breath, he asks, "Do you even remember asking me for help?"

Andy swallows hard, then gives a small nod. There are a lot of things she can't recall from the night before, but _that_ she remembers.

"Did you mean it?" As he speaks, he tilts her head so that she's looking at him.

"I…" Andy begins, but falls silent again. _Did she mean it? Is she prepared to stop? To change?_

Sam's eyes narrow. _After all of this, is she really going to tell me that she didn't mean any of it?_ "McNally." His voice is sharp.

"Yeah," she finally says. "I did…" She hesitates. "I do." As the words tumble from her lips, she knows they're true, but she's also scared and doesn't know where to start or if she's even strong enough. And the thought that she could fail has her even more afraid to take that first step. But that's when she realizes that she already took it, by admitting that she has a problem and needs help. _They say the first step is the hardest, right? _Somehow she isn't so sure, especially with the way she's feeling right now. Her entire body is trembling, her eyes are still glossy with emotion, and she knows it's only a matter of time before it breaks free... before she breaks down completely.

Seeing the tears forming in her eyes, he pulls her close and wraps his arms around her, holding her tight until her body gradually stills. Even then, he continues to hold her, his grip a little looser than before, but his arms still glued to her body.

"What am I supposed to do?" she asks, struggling to hold back a sob.

"We'll figure it out, okay?" he says softly. "You're not alone this time; I'm going to help you."

She nods into his chest.

"But first, I need you to talk to me, to tell me the truth... All of it."

Again, she nods, but her heart feels like it's going to burst out of her chest. She's terrified, maybe even more so than when she first started using.

He lets out a loud breath. _Now or never_, he thinks to himself. He's spoken to addicts before, dealt with them, but this is different. _She's_ different. And there's no easy way to go about it, but he has to know what he's dealing with... what _they're_ dealing with. "How often did you take the pills?"

There's a long stretch of silence, then, "A couple of times."

His eyes narrow as he stares down at the top of her head, his grip unconsciously tightening.

"… A week," she adds, grimacing. She can only imagine the look of horror on his face at that exact moment.

Sam's teeth grind together. There's something in her tone that tells him she still isn't being completely honest. "McNally…?" The sudden tension in her body tells him that he's right.

She squeezes her eyes shut. "Minimum." Lately it had been a lot more.

He lets out another loud breath. _At least twice a week? _As his mind goes back to the first time he found out she was using, he starts to feel sick. _I should have stopped her, done more to prevent this from happening._

"But that wasn't all."

Her voice is barely audible, but he hears it and it gives him a sinking feeling. "What else?" he asks, struggling to keep a neutral tone.

There's another stretch of silence. The tension grows thicker. Nerves reach an all-time high. And Andy can feel herself rapidly crumbling. "E."

His mouth falls open. "What?" It comes out louder than intended, which is made clear when she jumps in his arms. Afraid she's going to attempt to bolt, he tightens his grip on her. And yet, he's positive he misheard her. Andy McNally may have screwed up by taking one drug, but surely she wouldn't be hooked on more? So, he clarifies. "Ecstasy?"

She nods into his chest.

Sam slowly draws in a breath, his mind reeling. How had they all been so unaware? So completely ignorant to how far gone she was? He isn't sure if he should be angrier at her for being so stupid, or at himself for not recognizing the signs sooner... for not stopping her before it reached this point. "How long?"

"Just recently," she replies, swallowing hard. "Last couple of weeks, maybe... A few times."

He's almost afraid to ask, but has to be sure. "Anything else?" When she shakes her head, he lets out the breath he'd been holding since his last question. "Okay," he replies. "You're umm... you're lucky, McNally, you're _really_ lucky..." He closes his eyes and, without thinking, rests his chin on the top of her head. "Do you have any idea how many deaths we get from..." He trails off as he feels the dampness through his shirt. He wants to drill the point into her head, but he's exhausted and in her current state, he isn't so sure it's going to have the right effect. "I mean it, you're _really_ lucky to still be here, but I don't envy you, not for a second. These next few days or so are going to be hell; probably the hardest thing you've ever experienced."

* * *

_Three days later…_

Andy cracks open an eyelid, her entire body jolting upward. She isn't alone. Not anymore. Beside her, on the couch, is Oliver, his gaze trained on her face. Squeezing her eyes shut again, she groans and pulls the blankets tighter around her body, doing her best to ignore him. Doing her best to ignore everything. The pounding in her head, the trembling of her body, slight nausea, and clamminess. All she wants to do is be pulled back under, to sleep off the rest of this hell. And she knows it's her fault that she's in this state, but that knowledge doesn't make it any easier to handle, especially with Oliver's presence now serving as a constant reminder of her stupidity.

"I just don't get it," Oliver says quietly, shaking his head as he takes in her pale complexion, the dark circles under her eyes, and the layer of sweat glistening on her uncovered skin.

"There's nothing to get," she mutters, trying to bury her face in the pillow.

"You were doing so well," Oliver continues. "Aside from that scumbag, you were set... Your life was set, Andy. You had a future, a bright one. And now this?" There was a small pause. "What happened? What changed? What could have possibly caused you to do this?"

She'd known the barrage of questions was coming, but that didn't make her any more prepared for it. "When's Sam getting back?" Andy asks, her irritation clear, despite her voice being partially muffled. All she really knows is that he's at the station, but she doesn't have the slightest clue why or for how long. She just hopes it isn't to work a full shift. If it is, she's not so sure she's going to last through Oliver's berating. As the thought crosses her mind, she sneaks a peek at the man before burying her face in the pillow again. The same disapproving look is there, mixed in with a touch of worry and disappointment. Not that she really expected otherwise, but it's difficult to deal with. And, it only becomes harder when she feels a bit of a jab to her side. "What?" she snaps, swatting at the hand. She's beginning to really regret agreeing to let Sam tell Oliver the truth, but he didn't want to leave her alone like this. Not that she'd readily agreed to it in the first place. She'd been hesitant at first, but whether she'd been half awake or desperate for some sort of pain killer, she'd finally conceded to Sam's pleas. And now, as she swats the man's hand away for a second time, she's really regretting that moment of weakness because her "uncle" just won't let up. He wants an explanation, demands one.

"Two hours, maybe." Oliver scratches the back of his head, his eyes narrowing. "Was it because of that Tyler kid?"

"Oh my god, just let it go," she says with another groan. Her head is throbbing more than before, and she swears the cold sweat she'd broken out in just the night before is getting worse, just like everything else, Oliver's pestering included. It all feels like a slippery slope, as if nothing is improving; as if instead of getting better, time is working against her.

"It doesn't make sense," Oliver says, exasperated.

Andy opens her eyes and finally looks over at him. "It feels like someone took a baseball bat to my head and body, I'm freezing, feel disgusting, and am about five seconds away from completely snapping. Can we _please_ not talk about this right now? Or ever?"

Oliver lets out a frustrated sigh, but before he can respond, his phone rings. "Shaw," he says, rising from the couch and casting a glance in Andy's direction before moving further away.

Withholding a sigh of relief, she closes her eyes again and starts to drift back into an uneasy sleep. Shortly thereafter, however, Oliver is shaking her awake. "What?" she growls, blindly trying to get him to stop.

"I have to go pick up Izzy," he says quietly. "We sent her back to school today, thinking she'd be okay, that her fever was gone, but—"

"Go," Andy mutters, weakly pushing him away without opening her eyes.

"—she was sick again," Oliver continues, guilt washing over him. "And Zoe can't get away from work."

"It's fine," Andy says groggily, pulling the blanket up and over her head in an attempt to block him out.

"I'll let Sam know…"

"Just go," Andy whines. "All I want to do is sleep without being poked or pitied."

"Okay," Oliver says in defeat. "Just call if you need anything."

"Uh huh," she mumbles, already drifting off again.

* * *

_Meanwhile, at 15 Division…_

"You're serious?"

Sam stares evenly at his Staff Sergeant as he gives a small nod. Although he has a sarcastic reply on hand, he didn't spend the last twenty minutes stating his case for nothing, so instead, he says, "I am."

"We don't usually allow civilians into the station and give them that kind of responsibility," Boyko replies, leaning back in his chair.

"She's not just any civilian," Sam argues. "She's a cop's daughter, and possibly a future cop too." He pauses, hoping his boss doesn't question how he knows Andy, or why he even cares. "And, you've met her." He isn't positive about that, but surely Boyko must have met her by now, right?

The man nods. "Tommy knows?"

"Not yet." Seeing his boss quirk an eyebrow, Sam lets out a sigh and admits, "I didn't want to bring it up with him until I knew if it could be a _real_ possibility..." He shrugs. "You know how badly he wants his daughter to follow in his footsteps... I didn't want to get his hopes up."

"I'd have to run it by the Superintendent," Boyko replies, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But it wouldn't likely be anything glamorous. Maybe some filing, sorting, errands, general office duties."

Sam nods. "A foot in the door, that's all I'm asking for… Just being around other cops, ones she doesn't know, will give her a chance to really figure out if she wants to go in this direction."

"And just for the summer?"

Again, Sam nods. He really isn't sure what Andy is doing after: if she's going to college or university, or planning on working right away. He only knows what had been talked about during the poker games set around the time when he first met her, but a lot has changed since then. So, all he really knows is that if he can get Boyko to agree and get the Superintendent to approve it, then it will make keeping an eye on Andy much easier, and may even persuade her to head down the same career path as her dad... and as him.

Boyko sits up rather abruptly. "Speak of the devil."

Sam turns toward the office door to find Superintendent Elaine Peck just a few short strides away from entering. He withholds a grimace. He's never really liked the woman – actually, he's never really liked any of the Pecks if he's quite honest – but in the next ten minutes, he suddenly finds himself disliking her a little less. All it really took was dropping her daughter's name into the mix, and reinforcing the idea that an internship would be a great educational opportunity that would also help 15 Division. And that's how two internships became available at 15 Division that morning, one for Andy McNally and the other for Gail Peck.

* * *

_Just over half an hour later…_

Andy runs her tongue over her lips in an attempt to wet them, but her entire mouth is dry to the point where it feels like she's been chowing down on chalk for the last hour. It almost tastes like it too. With a groan, she slowly forces herself up into a sitting position, eyeing the kitchen. _Fifteen steps, Andy_, she silently tells herself. _Just put one foot in front of the other. One at a time._ Her body slouches forward. Nope,_ no, you have to get up first_. And then she starts to sway, until she's inching back toward the pillow on the couch. _Get up. _"Ugh," she screams, but it comes out sounding choked. _Up. Get up_. "Shut up," she growls, swatting the air in front of her eyes as if it's going to quiet her mind. _Why do I feel worse?_ _Like, deathly ill? And why can't he just put me out of my misery? _Another groan escapes her. _Stop being such a baby._ She weakly rubs her face. _I don't even want to die. I want to... I want... What the hell do I want?... Water. Yup, definitely water. _Placing one hand on the side of the couch, she pushes off, shakily forcing herself to her feet, the blankets still tightly wrapped around her thin frame. Her legs wobble a little as she makes her way to the kitchen, her breathing getting heavier the further she goes. _One more step. Lift. Nope, shuffle. Ugh, whatever. I'm here. Water. _As she rubs her eyes with one hand, she reaches up and grabs a glass with the other, filling it with tap water. But, now that she's reached her destination and has water in her hand, her mind wanders again. _My head. __Pain... Painkillers. _Her eyes roam around the kitchen as she takes a few quick sips, scanning each cupboard in an attempt to remember where Sam keeps his medicine. Andy's trembling fingers finally curl around a knob and she yanks until the contents of each shelf are visible. _Bingo_. A sigh of relief escapes her as her hand stretches upward to the top shelf and clasps a bottle. But, that's when she notices something else; she feels her hand brush up against something... something that seems familiar. Her heart rate quickens and her eyes widen just a fraction before her brows furrow. _Leave it_, she silently warns herself. _Just take the painkillers and go. _But she doesn't. She can't seem to force herself away. Pressing her fingers flat up against the shelf, it becomes obvious that something is definitely there, so she pulls, sucking in a sharp breath when a small packet falls onto the counter. Her eyes shoot downward. _Don't. Don't do it, Andy. Leave it. Just walk away. Don't be stupid. Go. NOW._

Still, her feet won't move. Her body won't cooperate. Eyes won't turn away. Her mind is fixated on one thing only, the small ziplock bag in front of her, and its contents. Just one and she'll be feeling better within no time. _One_. That's all it will take, for now; that and a split second decision. It can make the pain go away, the sickness; replace it with a high, a temporary bliss. One and done. All she has to do is give into temptation. Andy blinks hard, her heart beating heavily in her chest as she reaches forward and dumps the blue pills into the palm of her hand. "One and done," she breathes.

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.**

**Also, I haven't forgotten about Andy's… boyfriend, or the fact that she was drugged, and neither has Sam. More to come on all of that in the next chapter.**

**And for those of you looking for something else to read, the lovely svugirl25 just posted another awesome McSwarek story. She'll paint some hilarious/lovely images in your head with that one, so check it out! Oh, and in the time it took you to read this update, I'll have already posted a new chapter for "Clean Slate" (actually two chapters since I had to split it up due to the length), so if you're reading that one, enjoy two new chapters!**

**Twitter – RB_ADI2DE**


	9. Control

**W****elcome back! I didn't forget about you guys, and I am certainly NOT abandoning ANY of my stories. Everything I've started, I will finish posting. **

**Anyway, welcome back! I know it's been awhile, so my apologies. But, here we are again. Thanks for all of the reviews, follows, and favourites.**

**Now, I know I should be posting a proper recap (like I usually do), especially since it's been a LONG while, but quite frankly, I'm just really eager to post something again, so rather than giving the usual version, here's a crappier recap (don't let its crap-tacular-ness deter you from reading, I swear I try to write my stories a little better than that): **

**LAME RECAP: Andy's an awesome poker player, who outwits Oliver, Sam, and her dad in a game of poker. Her scumbag boyfriend runs with the wrong crowd and, as a result, so does Andy. Consequently, she finds herself participating in some less-than-legal activities, namely (but not limited to) the use of an unknown drug (ironically, the drug I chose happens to be one that has been mentioned a lot in the news recently as a result of overdoses, etc... that will come up more in the next few chapters). Despite being little more than acquaintances, Sam bails Andy out on numerous occasions. But, when he refuses to help her - in an attempt to get her to smarten up on her own - Andy ends up spiralling downward, until she hits rock bottom. She was given the date rape drug at a party, and is now suffering from withdrawals from her drug addiction in the comfort of Sam Swarek's place because she's still on the outs with her father. While left alone, Andy stumbles upon the pills that she's addicted to and is left debating just how badly she wants the pain and sickness to go away.**

**Also, if you've never read any of my other stories, and you hate the use of the present tense, let me just say that this is the ONLY story that I have ever used the present tense in. I actually originally wrote this story in the past tense, but switched it over to the present before posting each chapter. I actually HATE using the present tense, but I wanted to try something a little different. Regardless, I do like the ending of this story, so try to bear with me!**

* * *

_Less than an hour later…_

Drawing in a deep breath, his fingers curl around the doorknob, his heart hammering twofold in his chest as he starts to turn the smooth metal. It's the same feeling of adrenaline pumping through his veins as when he's on the job, gun drawn and perp lurking in the shadows. Except, this time, it's because of the teenaged girl who has taken up residence in his home.

With a quick shake of his head and a choked laugh, Sam finally pushes the door open, mentally chiding himself for second guessing his decision because deep down, he knows that setting Andy up with an internship at the station is an accomplishment. Something good. _Really_ good. But, that doesn't stop him from feeling anxious, not knowing how she'll react. Wondering if she'll just pick up and go, or if she'll tough it out and really strive to get better. And it's that unknown – the absolute feeling of uncertainty – that scares him… Because her next move will dictate her future, her desire to change, and to be something more than an addict.

His mind briefly flashes back to the last few days, to what he's learned about her. To what he's seen. And while, thus far, she's proven that she's serious about getting better – about getting her life back on track – he's seen enough addicts and heard enough stories to know that at any moment, things can change.

Letting out a long breath, he hesitantly steps into his place, silently praying for her to be asleep so that he can have just a little more time to figure out how to break the news to her. Even a few more minutes might do; hours would be better though. Days, most definitely. Hell, he isn't sure he'll ever be ready, and not just for this conversation, but for this role, the responsibility… Andy McNally. Already, his head is spinning and he's finding it difficult to maintain control. Instead of feeling calm and cool, something about her has him on edge, feeling a little off-kilter and more than a little over-protective. Maybe even a little irrational? Anxious? Definitely unbalanced though. And, quite frankly, it unnerves him. But, he can't help it. He wants to help her. _Needs_ to. She just has to let him.

As he takes another step inside, he spots her and, unfortunately for him, finds her awake and sitting – or rather, slouched over – in the stool behind his kitchen counter.

A series of curses run through his head as his eyes peruse her, noting the clear exhaustion in her body and her stark white face. She looks worse than when he left, and that troubles him. Oliver had said she was doing okay when he called earlier, but she looks anything but okay at the moment.

"Hey," he says a little cautiously. "What are you doing up?"

Andy glances over at him, but her eyes don't linger long, and as he watches her, he isn't even sure that she's fully aware of his presence. She seems a little dazed. Unfocused.

"McNally?" Sam slides off his shoes and heads toward her, stopping only when he's right beside her. When she doesn't acknowledge him further, he knows that something is definitely wrong. "Andy?" he tries again, this time swiveling the stool until her knees hit his thighs.

Still, no real acknowledgement.

Palms on either side of her face, he slowly tilts her head upward. "What's wrong?" His tone is unusually soft, but his worry is clear. Alarm bells are sounding in his head. Even when she was experiencing the worst of the withdrawal symptoms, she was more responsive. In fact, the only time he's really seen her like this is when she's scared... when she's hiding something. "Don't shut me out."

Her gaze finally slides upward and the sudden moisture in her eyes nearly has him stepping back, stunned. But, he stays, forcing his feet to remain firmly planted in front of her, and gently wipes the tears away as they start to fall. "Talk to me, McNally," he whispers, his tone pleading.

It's awhile before her eyes seem to come back into focus, before she even attempts any kind of response.

"I…" Her voice is weak and just like her body it's shaking. "I…" A sob escapes her, swallowing up her next words.

Taking her in his arms, Sam holds her close, running one hand up and down her back in a soothing motion.

"I don't know if I can do this," she croaks, practically collapsing into his embrace as another wave of emotion crashes over her.

His hand falters for a split second before it continues to trail back down her spine. This is exactly what he was afraid of. The lack of commitment. Backing out. "You're almost there," he says quietly, his left hand unconsciously tightening its hold on her as his right one moves with just a little more purpose, as if his touch can impart some of his own strength to her. "Just another day or two and it will start to get better, okay?"

She closes her eyes, her head pressed against his chest as her tears stain his t-shirt. "I thought I could do it. I thought..."

"Hey," he says, finally releasing her so that he can settle his hands on her clammy face again. "McNally, you _can_ do this. You're _gonna_ do it, and _I_ am gonna help you. I'm gonna be here every step of the way, okay?" He draws in a steadying breath as he waits for some kind of response, preferably some type of affirmation that she hasn't given up.

The nod she gives is barely perceptible, but it's all he needs.

"It's harder… a _lot_ harder than I ever thought it would be," she whispers, now staring just off to the side.

"I know," Sam replies. "But you're not in this alone." Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he gives her a small smile. "If you really wanna change, you will. And, it is hard and it will be for a little while longer, but you're strong, McNally. Don't doubt that." When she starts to shake her head, he directs her attention back to his face, but again, she quickly averts her eyes. "You ever doubt that, ever think that you can't do this, you look to me. Got it? Because if you're serious about changing your life, then that's what _we_ are gonna do. _Together_. But, you need to be sure because if I'm gonna help you, there's no going back."

Andy draws in a shaky breath, but waits a moment, then slowly raises her eyes, letting them settle on his chin for a few seconds before allowing them to trail upward to meet his brown orbs, this time of her own free will. "I don't wanna go back," she breathes.

"Good." His smile grows, _until_ she opens her mouth again.

"But... there's, umm... there's something I need to tell you."

He stares at her in silence, his mind racing with all of the things she might say. And, based on her facial expression, it isn't going to be good, and that only makes his worry bump up a notch.

"I only wanted something for my head," she begins, her teeth nervously biting down on her lower lip. "I didn't mean…"

His smile fades completely, his face paling as understanding begins to settle in. She found the pills, or somehow got ahold of some type of drug. "McNally…?" As her name tumbles from his lips, he takes a small step back, frantically searching her face and body for signs that he may have missed before.

Nothing.

Eyes flicking back to hers, he anxiously waits.

With a trembling left hand, Andy reaches for his right one, then deposits a small package into it.

Sam continues to stare at her face, even after her hand falls away, needing a few more seconds before he can even think about looking down. His heart is beating so quickly it feels like it's going to jump right out of his chest. Did she just erase all of the progress she'd made over the last few days? Had she cracked? Caved? Had he made a mistake by leaving her? His face contorts into a grimace, his eyebrows furrowed, as the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach grows.

"I didn't know… I swear, I..."

Sam's gaze reluctantly slides down to his hand, both desperate and fearful to discover what rests in the palm. But, a split second is all it takes for relief to flood through him, as he counts the number of pills. "You didn't take any." The corners of his mouth twitch upward as he recounts the pills, but he isn't completely at ease yet. "You..."

"Part of me wanted to... to take them.. at least one," Andy admits, brown orbs full of guilt. "Just to make everything stop hurting and…" She shakes her head. "If you hadn't come back just now, I don't know how much longer I could have held off."

Sam pockets the drugs, trying to remind himself that he needs to proceed with caution because, sure, she found the drugs and was tempted, but she still didn't take them. "The thing is..." He pauses and runs his tongue over his lips to wet them. "The thing is," he repeats, this time running a hand through his hair. "Being tested this early on and being able to resist… it's big, McNally. Your body is still craving the drug, badly too. But, you didn't take it. You may have wanted to, may have thought that you couldn't hold out much longer, but you did. You resisted. You didn't give into that temptation, and that's a _really_ good thing."

"It doesn't feel good," Andy argues, as she reaches up to rub her temples.

His lips curl upward again. "It will."

Seeing her start to sway on the stool, he reaches for her and slowly scoops her up.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking you to bed," Sam replies automatically.

A small, rather weak laugh escapes her. "And here I thought you didn't want to sleep with me, Sam Swarek...?"

He freezes mid-turn, his entire body going tense. "What?" he chokes out.

"It's a joke," she replies, as she lowers her head to his shoulder and snuggles into him. "Remember in the parking lot at 15 Division? You know, what Oliver said about guys wanting to sleep with me…? And I said that _you_ don't, but now you're taking me to bed…" She let out a loud yawn. "Really killed the joke there, Swarek."

With a small chuckle, he shakes his head and completes the turn. "You're really something, you know that McNally?" he says as he carries her back into the guestroom, still recovering from her bout of boldness.

Once there, he gently sets on her on the bed and moves to pull up the blanket, but as he does so, she reaches out and grabs his hand.

"Thank you."

Sam merely nods before tucking her in and leaving the room, deciding to tell her about the internship later. After all, one big hurdle is enough at a time, right?

* * *

A few hours later...

Andy groans as she opens her eyes, the light from outside causing her to squint.

"How are you feeling?"

She jumps at the sound of Sam's raspy voice, her head snapping to her left to find him sitting in a chair beside her bed.

"Sorry," he mutters, looking a little sheepish as he holds his hands up apologetically.

Ignoring the apology, she asks, "Are you sure things are supposed to get better?"

Rather than offering any kind of verbal response, he instead hands her some pain medication and a glass of water.

"Thanks," she says, gratefully accepting both. Once done, she sets the glass on the nightstand, then looks back at him, noticing the creases in his forehead. The worry. Nervousness. "What's wrong?"

He hesitates.

"Sam?"

"I want you to tell your dad." He says it without looking at her. He can't.

Andy's eyes widen in disbelief, positive that she misheard him because there is absolutely no way that what she thinks she heard can be real. "What?"

"Good father or not, he does care about you and… I think he deserves to know."

"No."

"Andy…"

"No," she repeats firmly.

Sam sighs. "Look, I think if you tell him, you'll be less likely to relapse." Not only that, but while she was sleeping, he kept asking himself if he could really do this on his own. If _they_ could do it on their own. After all, even with Oliver in the loop, helping her get her life back on track was going to be a huge task. And, if they had to worry about Tommy finding out, then things would only be more complicated. He just had to somehow get her to agree and, right now, he suspected his chances of winning the lottery were greater. Still, he had to try. "Please?"

"That's not… No." She shakes her head again. "He's…"

"You want help, right?"

"Telling my dad isn't going to help," she argues. "He's already an alcoholic. What do you think he's gonna do if he finds out about this?"

"That's not what I asked."

She gapes at him. It's clear that she couldn't have made it through the last couple of days without Sam's help, but what he's asking is just plain ridiculous. She can't tell her dad; he'll kill her. "I do, but... I can't. I can't do it."

"You can."

Andy rubs her eyes with the palms of her hands, her entire body tense with stress. Then, with a deep breath, she pushes herself up off the bed, forcing herself to stay upright despite how weak she feels. "Thanks for… for everything, but I…"

"Don't walk out the door." He can hear the hint of panic in his own voice, but he knows that if she leaves, she won't come back. She'll fall back into her old lifestyle, her addiction, and she might very well wind up dead.

Tears prick her eyes again. "I can't tell him. I'm sorry, I just can't."

Though he wants to reach out for her, Sam remains seated, knowing that she has to make the final decision. He can't force her to stay. He can't force her to do anything. He can ask, but she has to be the one to decide. "I need you to trust me, McNally."

"I do, but this…"

"Scares you," Sam suggests. "And it should. It needs to. If nothing about this situation terrified you, then we'd have an even bigger problem on our hands."

"He'll kill me," Andy whispers.

"He'll help you, and maybe it will convince him to get help too." He slowly rises to his feet and holds his hand out to her. "Will you trust me, McNally? Will you do whatever it takes to get better?"

Her eyes flick from his hand to his face and back down again, wondering if he might be right. Maybe her dad will finally get the help he needs, if she gets help too. Still, the thought of confronting him terrifies her. "How… how am I supposed to tell him?"

"Ease the blow," Sam says after a moment of silence. "Tell him you're serious about getting your life back on track."

"He won't believe—"

"Tell him you'll be working at 15 Division over the summer, as an intern."

Andy's eyes widen. "You want me to lie to him? Lie about one thing, but tell him about… about this…?"

He shifts uncomfortably under her gaze. "It won't be lying."

Confusion flits across her face. "But…?"

"I talked to Boyko," Sam says slowly, studying her face the entire time to try to get a read on how she's taking the news. "He's willing to take you on as a summer intern. It will mean you'll have to sign a confidentiality agreement and fill out some other paperwork, but—"

"Boyko agreed to that?"

Sam feels his lips twitch upon hearing the disbelief, even hope, in her voice. "He did."

"And… and you did that for me? You…" She falls silent as moisture fills her eyes, feeling more than a little overwhelmed. Any other day it may have irked her that he'd gone behind her back and made a big decision about her life, especially without talking to her about it first. But, not today. After all he's done for her the last few days, she's feeling a little mind-blown, and although she's still feeling a little groggy, she's positive that she'll appreciate the gesture even more once her mind clears and she's back on her feet. "Why?" she chokes out the question.

"I had my fair share of screw-ups as a teen," Sam admits. "Probably would've landed myself in jail, but I had a run-in with a cop who saw something in me that nobody else really did. And, for the last few years, he's kept me in line. Even became my training officer and helped make me the cop and person that I am today." He pauses and looks her in the eye. "Everyone needs help sometimes, McNally. There's nothing wrong with that. But changing, it isn't easy. And what you're doing now is probably one of the most difficult things you'll ever do. And, you might wanna give up sometimes... it's normal to feel that way every once in awhile, but you've just gotta remember that you're not alone."

Biting down on her lower lip, Andy draws in a shaky breath, then finally places her hand in his. "You're a good man, Sam Swarek," she says quietly as her eyes rise to meet his, a small but rather shy smile tugging at her lips. "And… you're a really good friend."

The corners of his mouth curl upward upon hearing the admission, one that he was sure she'd never make. But it gives him hope. These words, they make him wonder if maybe she'll finally stop shutting him out now, and maybe, just maybe, he can finally help her move forward. Help her change.

"Oliver's lucky to have you in his life," Andy adds, her voice barely a whisper. "And so am I."

Before he realizes what's happening, she releases his hand and steps toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. His entire body freezes for a moment before he hesitantly wraps her up in his own arms, a strange sense of contentment washing over him as he feels her body relax against his.

_Friends_... with a woman. A woman who isn't his sister. Who isn't his co-worker, Noelle. _This_ woman. The one who has an uncanny ability to read him, who he hardly knows, yet still somehow manages to make him so angry and… scared. Who makes him smile. Makes him so furious. And so bloody confused...

Glancing down at the top of her head, he suddenly finds himself feeling alarmed as realization truly dawns upon him and his mind starts to grasp what it all means... After all, helping her largely requires being around her. And, her acknowledgement that they're friends, means...? He isn't sure. Regardless, it has his mind reeling because after all this time trying to convince her to let him help, he's left wondering not just how to follow through with that, but something far more perplexing, in his mind anyway... Just how the hell is he supposed to be friends with a woman?

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.**

**Unfortunately, this is only a fraction of the chapter, but I wanted to get something up for you now, rather than waiting even longer, so hopefully this helps tide you over a bit. My next updates will likely be to Madness, Haunted, or Rewind, Restart.**

**Twitter - RB_ADI2DE**


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